Society

Boss arrested for fatal stabbing of employees

By Chen Jia in Beijing and Li Yuefeng in Zhengzhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-05 10:52

Police have arrested a man who allegedly fatally stabbed two of his employees following a salary dispute at the Putian township government offices in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Wednesday.

Yang Qinzhong and Zhu Yongxiang, both migrant workers at Jian'an Company, were quarreling with their employer because each man received 3 yuan ($0.44) less than promised in their salaries, local police said yesterday.

"The township government had paid all its dues to Jian'an Company, which was given the task of repairing a government building, on Jan 21," a police official told China Daily.

Local media quoted an eyewitness as saying: "The attackers first stabbed a man in the neck. When the other victim tried to hit the attacker with a brick, he was stabbed too."

Police have detained the man and are investigating the case.

Labor disputes are common during the Chinese New Year, when millions of migrant workers prepare to return home with their yearly incomes and reunite with their families.

On Jan 9, a migrant worker from Hebei province was stabbed, resulting in the loss of his kidney, after he asked his employer for his wages in Beijing.

On Jan 28, Chen Ruqiang, who works in a construction company in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and his colleagues were beaten mercilessly with chairs when they asked for their back pay.

According to China's Labor Law, a laborer's salary should not be subject to reduction or delay.

"This law lacks the detail and clarity needed to institute an effective payment system for migrant workers," said Chen Bulei, a researcher at the Labor Relations Research Institute of the People's University.

"Payment disputes are frequent in construction companies, where it has been routine that migrant workers don't get their payments on time," said Wang Wenzhen, a researcher with the China Labor Science Research Institute.

Finding a solution to conflicts over delayed payment has been a key goal of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the group said in a report on Dec 30, 2009.

The federation launched a nationwide investigation into the issue on Nov 15.

In an earlier interview with China Daily, Yu Lingyun, a law professor at Tsinghua University, said more help should be made available from non-governmental organizations as they could better coordinate the protection of workers' rights.

"Most cases involve small groups of people who are demanding slender salaries, probably less than 1,000 yuan or even 100 yuan. I can understand why the police don't get involved in the cases because the money is so little but for migrant workers their salary means everything," he said.