In the past few days, multiple collective wage disputes have erupted in various parts of China, affecting not only construction workers who have long been owed wages, but also extending to teachers, sanitation workers, and healthcare personnel in the public service sector. Meanwhile, in a village in Zhejiang, residents were compelled to pay “hygiene management fees” and “parking fees” under threat of having their cars locked up, sparking widespread controversy and public outrage.
These wage disputes have escalated across China. On May 18th, a collective wage dispute occurred at a construction site of China Communications Construction Group in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. Workers raised banners to protest against long-overdue wages. According to Radio Free Asia, a worker revealed that since the traditional Chinese New Year, the company had promised several times to pay wages but repeatedly failed to do so. “We work hard and relentlessly, but the money is continuously delayed. Some workers have family members who are ill and urgently need money to save their lives.”
In Guangdong, a collective labor rights incident arose at a section of the Yangxin expressway project contracted by China Railway Seventh Bureau due to wage issues. On May 19th, workers gathered in front of the project office demanding payment for their overdue salaries. A worker mentioned in a video, “We live in makeshift houses and are guarding here every day. They promised several times to pay wages, but did not provide a specific date.”
In Nanning City, Guangxi, 32 construction workers camped in front of a company and lit fires due to wage arrears from Guangxi Transmission Construction Co., Ltd., stating they were prepared for a “long-term struggle” since May 16th.
Beyond the construction industry, the education system has not been spared. On May 20th, several contract teachers in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, disclosed being owed wages for six months, plunging them into financial hardship. In Shanxi, teachers were asked by their schools to reclaim year-end bonuses and some after-school service fees granted since 2021.
On an overseas social media platform, a user posted a video on behalf of “Yesterday”, stating that on May 19th and 20th, workers at Qianlima Embroidery Factory in Haimen City, Nantong, Jiangsu, went to the factory and the owner’s residence for two consecutive days to demand wages but still did not receive them. On May 17th, employees of Yunda Express in Dongyang City, Jinhua, Zhejiang, went on strike for two days to request their wages. Also on the 16th, several security guards at Wanshenghui Shopping Center in Suining, Sichuan, protested at the mall entrance as their intermediary had absconded, leading them to demand their salaries. That same day, laid-off workers of Longmei Group in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang, collectively protested in front of the municipal government for three months of unpaid basic guarantees, social security, and medical benefits.
Furthermore, wage issues have emerged in the healthcare and sanitation systems. On a social media platform, a nurse from a public hospital in Gansu revealed her monthly salary was only 1,300 yuan, with performance bonuses being unpaid for four months, leading to financial struggles. A sanitation worker in Jiangxi tearfully said, “We start work at 5 a.m. every day, working over 10 hours, and earn only 1,400 yuan a month. I don’t want to be a human being in my next life; it’s too difficult.”
Mr. Zhang, a retired teacher from Guizhou University, told Radio Free Asia that the high local debts and tightened central policies have significantly impacted grassroots financial operations, with frontline workers and contract employees being the most direct victims. He stated, “Previously, wage disputes mainly involved migrant workers, but now it affects teachers, doctors, and sanitation workers. This indicates that China’s ‘stable structure’ is starting to backfire on itself. They are the most vulnerable group, and once they speak out, they are suppressed as ‘troublemakers,’ but in reality, they just want to survive.”
Meanwhile, in mid-May, the village committee of Mutang Village, Gushan Town, Yongkang City, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, issued a notice on May 10th, imposing “hygiene management fees” and “parking fees” on all permanent and non-local workers in the village: 80 yuan per year for adults, 40 yuan for children, and 500 yuan for cars and tricycles. Those who fail to pay on time will be subject to a “clearance” starting from June 1st, with a fine ranging from 200 to 100 yuan per person and vehicle impoundment for non-compliance, and unlockers will be subject to “destruction of public property” penalties.
A tenant, Mr. Li, from the village, stated on May 21st, that this fee had not been agreed upon by the villagers, nor was any public meeting held to discuss it. “I am an outsider tenant and have never heard of any village meeting passing such fees. Originally living in town, the cleanliness fees were charged per household, but now they are charged per person, which is a clear case of arbitrary fees.”
Some villagers criticized the village committee’s actions as “blatant extortion.” A villager, Zhang Shun (alias), said, “There are five of us in the family, and we have to pay 400 yuan a year, which we simply cannot afford.”
Zhengzhou rights activist Jia Lingmin mentioned that village committees are grassroots autonomous organizations, and all fees must obtain a “fee permit”; otherwise, it would be considered illegal: “Garbage clearance and parking fees must be authorized by the government. Otherwise, it is not just arbitrary charges but may also involve the corruption of village cadres and benefits for their relatives.”
An employee from the Comprehensive Governance Office of Gushan Town government admitted that this matter “has attracted high attention online” but did not provide a direct response.