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18/11/2005.
Earlier this month, nearly 3,000 workers at the Italian sofa factory "DeCoro" in Shenzhen went on strike to protest against three colleagues allegedly getting beaten by Italian supervisors. Sources say the violence occurred during a discussion over an alleged attempt of the management to cut wages. The rally started from the factory in Pingshan Industrial Zone and continued up a highway, according to the South China Morning Post.
The workers shouted, "Stop violence, restore justice and protect our human rights," but they were later dispersed by riot police armed with shields and clubs. In 2001, China accepted and ratified the International Covenant On Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, therefore admitting that striking is a civil right.
According to the China Labor Bulletin, the dispute between workers and the factory management erupted after workers learned that their wages for October were lower than usual. A group of 10 workers were dismissed for confronting management over the pay cuts. When those workers tried to re-enter the factory on Nov. 1, they were reportedly surrounded by four or five "foreign" supervisors and beaten. Three workers were hospitalized and received medical treatments. The president of the company, Luca Ricci, has written an apology letter to the hospitalized workers, asking them to return to work.
The Chinese workers at the factory still blame the Italian staff. One of them, Li Fangwei, said that the Italian supervisors are like "wolves" who beat Chinese workers "regularly," also accusing them of being "racist" and of treating them like "slaves."
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