Workers Strike at Baolishun Metal and Plastic Products Company in Shenzhen

• Date: May 30 2007 Time: 22:10
• Description:
  From CLB: Over 2,000 workers. Expecting closure and layoffs, workers demand early payment of monetary compensation. Strike. Police issue warning, government officials intervene, outcome unclear. From SCMP: Thousands of workers at a Shenzhen factory which was once the world's biggest maker of artificial trees clashed with police yesterday after they refused to call off their week-long strike. According to a worker, police had briefly detained nearly 100 workers - most of them women - at the Baolishun plastics factory in Longgang district after they refused to go back to work. They were later released after questioning. At least one worker refused to obey the police order and was seen beaten by four officers. She was taken away in a police car, her colleagues said. Factory management warned the workers yesterday morning that it would fire those who continued their industrial action. But the workers said they would not yield to the threat. They have been on strike since May 30. The workers were not happy with the long working hours and claimed the company was trying to lay off long-term employees without offering compensation. 'They refuse to renew contracts with experienced workers and only offer short-term contracts to new recruits,' a worker said. 'We believe the company wants to get rid of us because it's been losing money. If they want to lay us off, they should pay compensation.' The workers said the company had secretly planned to relocate the factory and management was trying to exploit a loophole in the labour laws to avoid paying severance pay. A worker with six years' experience was entitled to about 10,000 yuan in compensation if he was laid off but he would get nothing if his contract expired, the workers said. 'Dozens of experienced workers whose contracts are about to expire have been told they will not be offered a new one. The management did not explain why,' one worker said. He said many workers' contracts would expire next month and they feared they would lose their jobs. The week-long strike has attracted a great deal of overseas media attention. Longgang authorities tried to intervene last week but workers rejected the management's compensation offer - which was half of what they believed they were entitled to. Baoji Artifacts, the company which owns Baolishun, refused to comment yesterday on the incident. A statement by the Longgang government last night blamed 'a few individuals' for organising the strike and instigating the crowd against police officers. It said several police officers had been beaten by the crowd and the people responsible had been arrested. From Boxun: 5月30月~6月9日群发：抗议部分员工被解聘！深圳8000工人罢工十天 位於深圳龙岗雪象村的宝吉工艺品（深圳）有限公司八千馀名工人近日集体罢工。据罢工者称，由於该公司下属厂亏损和准备搬厂，除部分到期员工被解聘外，其他员工到期后将全部改为短期劳动合同，且厂方拒绝支付赔偿金。为此，宝吉下属宝丽顺厂千馀工人於上月三十日开始罢工。劳动部门当日介入协调，但劳资双方并未达成协议。六月二日，宝吉其他分厂也相继参与罢工，且持续多日。 Also from Boxun: 参加了6月份宝吉厂八千工人大罢工，因目睹罢工过程中暴力对待罢工员，见到有些罢工被四名防暴警反拖手脚抬扯进工厂,多名工人被扣. 精神感到恐怖复工后工作中表现神情呆痴情形，下班了也不知道要下班。不敢下班. 厂里发现她精神出现异常后送到人民医院及康宁医院检查，确定精神出现问题医生留院治疗.由员工代借四千元让她在康宁医院治病可是到6月28日当院方提出续交费时，厂方答复厂里老总不批，可是又不肯出据不批说明文字和原因. 女工是在工厂工作时精神因工作及罢工中目睹暴力受刺激而出现状况 同时也属工伤 工厂工人强烈要求厂方负起社会责任给工人提供治病 同时工人如给她有社保医保的话治病的钱应不是问题 宝吉厂董事长总经理是王长昌 香港上市公司宝途国际集团是出口美国最大的圣诞树生产商,宝吉现由美国凯雷国际控股经营.