Recently in Guangdong Province, retired individuals have once again collectively sought justice due to unresolved issues such as pension delays and healthcare deductions. They have reported the provincial and municipal governments for their inaction and retaliatory actions against those advocating for their rights, and have called on the central inspection team to intervene.
One of the rights advocates, using the pseudonym Zheng Yong, told Epoch Times that on the morning of August 25th, nearly a thousand retirees and veterans had planned to visit various departments such as the inspection team, social security bureau, and petition office to demand solutions to longstanding issues. However, authorities heavily enforced stability maintenance measures and community committees and police blocked many individuals in their homes. Among dozens of veterans, only a few could emerge.
Another rights advocate, using the alias Liu Ying, also told Epoch Times that authorities had pressured families to prevent elderly individuals from petitioning. “Children are afraid, so they don’t allow their parents to advocate for their rights. Police frequently visit, and street stability personnel come to block my door.”
Zheng Yong mentioned that there were plainclothes police officers and security guards stationed outside the various department doors where the rights advocates went. When the advocates submitted their reports, individuals claiming to be from the inspection team displayed aggressive attitudes, pushing and shouting, “We won’t accept it!” This led to heated arguments between the two sides.
In addition to on-site advocacy, another group of rights advocates used postal mail to send “Supervisory Report Letters” to the inspection team and other relevant departments.
The issues identified in the “Supervisory Report Letters” include: 1. Long-term inaction by local governments, delaying and shirking responsibilities towards public demands, resulting in outbreaks of mass incidents and significant losses to public interests. 2. Threats, intimidation, and retaliatory actions against whistleblowers. 3. Government inaction, passing the buck, and letting procedures stall.
The report letter requests the inspection team to supervise and instruct the local government to legally address the issue of Guangzhou’s post-June 2019 pension arrears for retirees.
In fact, retirees from Guangzhou’s enterprises have been advocating for their pension and healthcare rights for many years, and there have even been instances of mass incidents. Although authorities claim to have adjusted and made retroactive payments, the issues have remained unresolved for five years.
The report letter states that since July 2006, a phenomenon of “late retirement, low benefits; early retirement, high benefits” has emerged in the pensions of enterprise retirees in Guangzhou. Retirees who retired after June 1, 2019, receive significantly lower pensions compared to those who retired earlier, despite having similar work experience and payment levels, with a reduction of nearly 50%. Pensions commonly range between 1200 and 1600 yuan, with the lowest being only 1000 yuan.
Zheng Yong receives only about 1000 yuan in pension each month, and his healthcare benefits are also being deducted. Living in Guangzhou has been extremely difficult for him, and nearing his seventies, he still works odd jobs. He expressed his frustration, saying he no longer has any hope for the Communist Party.
He said, “There must be a rebellion. The Communist Party fears most when the people rebel. If they solve the problems, who would take such risks?”
Liu Ying stated that the Communist Party only deceives the people, and if they genuinely served the people, there wouldn’t be so many grievances.