Neti
zens report that on February 20 hundreds of retirees blocked traffic in Gezhouba, a city in Hubei Province near one of China’s largest state-owned hydropower stations of the same name, to demand higher pensions. Eye witnesses have posted photos on YCSQ.cn, a regional web portal, Sina Weibo and Sohu Weibo.
The banners in the photos posted on Sohu Weibo (right) read, “Demand a response from Yang Jixue to the people of the plant,” and “Give us retired workers fair and just pension benefits.” Yang Jixue is the chairman and general manager of the state-owned Gezhouba Group.
@就是睡不够 tweets, “February 20, 2012. Some retired employees of the Gezhouba Group went on the street to block traffic after fruitless negotiations with the Group. They demand increases in pensions and caused partial traffic paralysis in the area. The protest ended after Group leadership came out to speak to them and promised to satisfy their demands. In this incident, the police stopped vehicles from going into this area and communicated with the retirees about their situation. The attitude [of the police] was very good.”
Mr. Wang Lei (@主持人王磊), a host at a local television station, tweets, “this is the consequence of SOE reforms! Lay-off and forced retirements! Many are working hard for their families, and cannot stop even when they are old… Support them, they only want a better life!”
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