On March 18 and 19, thousands of employees of Nanhai Nanhua Metal & Gem Craft Co., Ltd. in Foshan City, Guangdong, gathered in front of the factory to protest against disguised salary cuts, non-payment of overtime, and non-payment of social security. The authorities mobilized a large number of police forces to suppress the protest, and 40 to 50 employees were arrested.
The protest started at around 6 p.m. on March 18, and employees gathered spontaneously in front of the factory, from a hundred or so at the beginning to two to three thousand at the end, expressing their dissatisfaction by refusing to go to work in the factory.
An employee at the scene, Mr. Lin, told the Epoch Times on March 19, “Yesterday (18) to get to more than two o’clock in the evening, came almost seventy police cars, last night no arrests, quite normal, everyone is very sensible.”
“By this morning (19) after the morning, should be at ten o’clock, suddenly came four or five hundred special police, public security, directly up and began to arrest, special police with shields, police with guns, up to see people on the arrest.” Mr. Lin said that about 40 to 50 people were arrested, including female employees.
“There was a part of plainclothes in front of our factory, they saw who took videos and photos, they would come up and tell you to delete them on the spot. Those plainclothes are hiding in the middle of the crowd, you do not know, but you took the video they will immediately come over.” Mr. Lin said the police also went to a building down the road to search to see if anyone was taking videos.
“After the special police came at noon, all went upstairs to the room to search the phone, called the phone above the video and photos all deleted. The police deleted all the surrounding stores, roadside surveillance, and then all the people who took the video were compulsorily deleted by the police.”
“There are police everywhere around the factory, the police blocked off this section of more than 100 meters of road, no one can go from there. Workers will be arrested as soon as they arrive at the scene.”
As of press Time, there were still workers gathering at the site, and some others had gone to a nearby square, where the police also followed them. The arrested employees have still not been released.
On March 18 and 19, thousands of employees of Nanhai Nanhua Metal & Gem Craft Co., Ltd. in Foshan City, Guangdong, gathered in front of the factory to protest against the disguised pay cut. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
The authorities mobilized a large number of police officers to crack down, and 40 to 50 employees were arrested. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
Mr. Lin said that on the morning of the 19th a very small number of more honest and well-spoken employees were coaxed by the boss to go to work in the factory, they went in and saw that too many people outside did not go in, they spontaneously came out again, and the employees outside rang out a round of applause and cheers.
Mr. Lin added: “The real big boss was away on business, and inside the factory there was his sister, and his relatives, it was a large Family-run factory. It’s all his family, but his sister won’t come out and told the two managers to come out and solve the problem.”
However, the appearance of the two managers more angered the entire staff, the factory in order to rush production, they had asked overtime employees were not allowed to go to the toilet last week, the toilet door all locked up with iron bars. “Some workers were so anxious that they pulled inside the workshop.” Mr. Lin said, “The issue that could have been negotiated, after these two managers came out, it fueled the employees’ anger and rage even more.”
“We have looked for many ways, but also to the town inside the government, they do not care. So workers forced to no way out, only indignant rebellion, are spontaneous, no one led.”
According to the staff, the company currently has four to five thousand employees, basically all work for more than ten years of veteran employees, the company was previously paid on a time basis, overtime is also a lot. But since the beginning of the Epidemic last year, coupled with the impact of the trade war between China and the United States, so that this foreign trade-based company operating difficulties, orders are delayed, the staff last year is basically on three days a week off four days, “to maintain a living wage, but we have no complaints from these employees, last year so support him (the company) to go on. “
However, this year after the New Year to start work, employees found that everything has changed, into a piece-rate system, and employees also received a contract, requiring employees to sign. Another employee, Mr. Li, said, “That contract is a copy, not the original contract, the time to enter the factory and the time to sign the contract are changed, before is the time now is all changed to piecework.”
Mr. Lin said, “The company incited some of the honest and obedient employees to go piecework, and asked them to write a letter of guarantee, to ensure that they are voluntarily piecework. Eight hours of piecework during the day, overtime at night is in accordance with the price of seventeen, eighteen to twenty-five blocks for them to work overtime, according to the price of temporary workers to pay.”
Mr. Li said, “It is a disguised reduction in wages, before we Monday to Friday night overtime is (base salary) one point five times, Sunday is twice; now is piecework, and then he does not have so many orders, just a small part of overtime.” Some employees have made calculations, and the original hourly overtime rate can reach 30 or 40 yuan per hour.
At present, the employees’ monthly salary has dropped from the previous four or five thousand dollars to two or three thousand dollars, and many of them have no choice but to go to another job after work for the sake of their families.
Mr. Lin also revealed that one of the main reasons for employees to defend their rights is the social security issue. Now 90% of the employees can not resign because of social security problems. Mr. Lin since 2005 into the factory, from the factory to 2011 social security, the company did not pay. “Most of the people who are now up in arms are because of this problem, and we ask the boss to pay us back the front social insurance. Then there are some people, the factory contacted them to make up the front social security, but all the costs are paid by the employees out of their own pockets, and they will pay nearly 70,000 in six years.”
In addition, the company’s treatment for employees has gradually decreased since 2018. For example, lunch has been reduced from three dishes to one dish, extra meals on holidays are no longer available, and the distribution of fruits and other things for the holidays have been canceled, all of which have made employees dissatisfied with the company.
“He is trying to disguise us old employees to force them out, and you don’t have to compensate if you leave by yourself.” Mr. Lin said. The employees are currently feeling helpless, but they say they will defend their rights to the end.
The company was founded on Oct. 21, 1996, and its business scope includes the production and operation of cases, straps, semi-precious stone craft products, metal ornaments, assembled clocks and watches, metal crafts manufacturing, etc., as well as trade agency.
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