Recently, mainland Chinese netizens posted a video claiming that a group leader at a construction site in Zhengzhou was killed by wage-seeking workers with a knife. The family of the deceased stated that the incident was due to the failure of Zhengzhou Construction Group to pay construction workers’ wages. However, related reports were quickly censored, and according to informed netizens, the deceased’s family has since lost contact.
The video shows a row of wreaths placed at the entrance of a construction site named “Dongzhao resettlement area Tianhe Renjia No. 3 Court” in Zhengzhou. Inside a temporary mourning hall, family members are seen crying, with a banner nearby reading “Zhengzhou Construction Group maliciously owes wages, leading to the murder of the group leader on the construction site.”
A man in the video stated, “Worked on the site for years, didn’t get paid, workers demanded wages, and they ended up killing people. No one is stepping up to solve the issue, no one is speaking out, it’s too pitiful.”
On November 27th, Da Wan News reported that the deceased’s brother mentioned that his younger brother, Li, aged 39, took on steel reinforcement binding work at a resettlement building site in Huji District, Zhengzhou in 2019 and served as the leader of the steel reinforcement group. However, due to the failure of the project’s general contractor Zhengzhou Construction Group to pay wages, his brother was unable to pay the wages of the group workers, escalating the conflict. On November 22nd this year, several workers came to the site to collect their wages but were unsuccessful, leading to one worker stabbing his brother to death.
According to the deceased’s brother, Li was divorced, had two sons – one in primary school and the other in middle school, and their father was also battling cancer.
Following the incident, the deceased’s family demanded the settlement of unpaid wages from the company and compensation for Li’s death. However, the issues remain unresolved to this day.
Public records indicate that Zhengzhou Construction Group was established in 1951 as the sole state-owned construction enterprise in Zhengzhou at the time. In 2004, it was restructured as a shareholder company.
On the same day, Zhengzhou Construction Group responded to the media, denying any wage arrears and stating that the incident was a “crime of manslaughter under the influence,” with the police filing a case.
On the 28th, the Huji District New City Street Office reported that “Zhengzhou Construction Labor Service Co., Ltd. and the victim Li have agreed that the funds have been fully settled,” and that the cause of the incident was a dispute over advance living expenses between Wang and Li after drinking, leading to Wang stabbing Li with a fruit knife, resulting in Li’s instant death.
At the same time, reports from mainland Chinese media regarding the “Zhengzhou Construction Group causing a murder case” were being continuously deleted.
However, according to local netizens, “Delays in paying rural workers in Huji District, Zhengzhou, are common, so it’s not surprising that incidents occur.” “This construction site has been abandoned for several years and just resumed work this year.” “We’re approaching December, with the Lunar New Year at the end of January. In these last two months or so, workers need money to return home for the New Year, causing significant emotional fluctuations. If the issues are not properly addressed, major incidents are more likely to happen.”
Another netizen revealed, “I heard that the family of the deceased has lost contact…”
Translator: I have translated and rewritten the news article into English as per your request.