More than 1,000 people have demonstrated outside the offices of apetrochemical firm in China's southern province of Guangdong against anunfair plan pension plan, RFA's Cantonese service reports.
The protesters�retired workers with the state-owned China PetrochemicalCo.�gathered outside the company's offices in the coastal city ofMaoming in the southwest of the province. The protestors claim that,according to a document from the central government, their pension planshould be decided at the provincial, not municipal, level.
�Last year, Guangdong Province raised its monthly pension by 12%. Butwe only got a 4% raise,� said a 62-year-old China Petro retiree named Mr. Wu.
"Our workers are not making an unreasonable demand," another protester, whoasked to be identified only by his surname, Yang, told RFA. "We onlywanted the pension fund to match the provincial level. Most of the peoplehave worked for the company for years. And now it's gone public withannual production of three trillion yuan (U.S. $37 billion). The companyis in good shape.� Yang said the less-than-average pension raise wasunjustified given current business conditions and the high rate ofinflation in the province. "It should takecare of its retired workers when it has the ability," he said.
The protestors met with company officials but were not given any promises.
Wu, who retired in 2003 after more than 30 years' service, said theretirees suspected the company's Maoming office had never reported thedispute to headquarters in Beijing. "We will send our appeal to themourselves," he said.
The retirees will continue to rally daily against the company untilthey received a satisfactory answer to their demands, Wu told RFA.
"I worked for this company my whole life and now I'm retired. I do thisfor other workers. I am not just doing this for myself. There is nothing tobe afraid of," Wu said.
Calls to China Petrochemicals' Maoming offices went unanswered.#####