Chinese factory worker sets fire to textile plant over 800 yuan in unpaid wages

[ad_1] A Chinese language manufacturing unit worker set hearth to a textile plant in China’s southwestern Sichuan province in his frustration over unpaid wages of simply 800 yuan (or US$111), in keeping with movies posted on social media and eyewitness accounts shared with Radio Free Asia.

Video: "800 Brother" burned down a manufacturing unit in anger over 800 yuan in unpaid wages The blaze on the Sichuan Jinyu Textile Firm on the Wangchang Industrial Park in Pingshan county of Sichuan’s Yibin metropolis raged for about 37 hours inflicting vital property harm and sparking intense discussions on-line about labor rights.

Social media posts indicated that Wen, 27, had a heated alternate together with his employers over his again wages earlier than setting hearth to the manufacturing unit on Tuesday.

The financial losses from the fireplace are estimated to be as excessive as tens of thousands and thousands of yuan, in keeping with preliminary estimates quoted by quite a few netizens.

The Pingshan county police confirmed an incident of arson and stated the arsonist had been detained on the scene of the fireplace. It stated on Friday that the case is below additional investigation, together with an evaluation of whole losses incurred.

Police, nevertheless, stated the declare that “800 yuan in wages have been owed” was false, and that the corporate was within the means of approving fee of 5,370 yuan in wages. It blamed the manufacturing unit hearth on the arsonist’s suicidal ideas, and stated police would deal strictly with these spreading rumors.

The Jinyu Textile Firm and Pingshan county workplace couldn't instantly be reached for remark.

After Tuesday’s incident, Chinese language netizens took to social media to precise their sympathy for the plight of staff like Wen, whose actions they consider, whereas excessive, have been determined. They stated he was “pressured to take action” out of sheer frustration over the shortage of choices to recuperate his cash and have his voice heard.

“I learn on-line that Wen’s household is poor and in a dire state of affairs, and that his mom is sick and they're in pressing want of cash,” Wang Shudong, an internet person from Yibin metropolis, instructed RFA on Friday.

“When those that have been owed wages sought authorized assist, the judges disappeared, and the labor division workers additionally disappeared. However when Wen set hearth to the manufacturing unit, the police got here and so did the officers from the authorized system,” Wang famous.

Stopping ‘800 Brother’-like incidents

Calling him “800 Brother,” to indicate the 800 yuan Wen was owed by the manufacturing unit, netizens and consultants stated extra must be finished to stop “800 yuan tragedies” from occurring in future.

Additionally they questioned what authorized rights and avenues can be found for atypical staff with months of unpaid wages.

“Chinese language society is heading in the direction of an unpredictable future, and the connection between folks is changing into more and more tense below the stress of financial downturn,” Sichuan-based scholar Tang Gang instructed RFA.

Xue, a Guizhou labor relations researcher, stated authorities departments, firms, and all sectors of the society ought to work collectively to deal with employee considerations over unpaid wages and advantages to stop extra “800 Brother” incidents.

“If firms can set up a sound wage fee mechanism to make sure that workers obtain their wages on time and in full, the chance of such excessive incidents might be successfully diminished,” stated Xue, who wished to be recognized by a single identify for security causes.

RFA has reported a spate of protests in current days by Chinese language lecturers, medical workers, development staff, and manufacturing unit workers demanding unpaid wages.

“Along with authorized redress, there's an pressing want for institutional restore, humane grassroots governance, and a social mechanism that really listens to the voices of atypical folks,” Yue Tianli, a sociologist based mostly in Lanzhou, instructed RFA.