As the New Year approaches, there has been an increase in wage disputes in China, especially in the field of real estate and construction projects. In Xiamen Guanyin Mountain, a migrant worker was seen standing on a crane demanding unpaid wages. Additionally, hundreds of construction workers have been gathering in front of the New City Holdings headquarters in Shanghai to demand their owed wages.
According to several mainland China bloggers, on January 3, 2025, in Xiamen Guanyin Mountain, a migrant worker stood on a crane demanding unpaid wages. It was revealed that early in the morning, workers had unfurled banners on-site with the message “Return our hard-earned money.” Surprisingly, one worker climbed onto the crane, despite the lack of safety measures such as air cushions underneath, and stayed there for over two hours. Eventually, firefighters and the police arrived at the scene, and after negotiation, the worker descended on his own.
A well-known blogger focusing on human rights issues in mainland China, known as “Yesterday (@YesterdayBigcat)”, disclosed that on January 2 and 3, hundreds of construction workers gathered for two consecutive days at the New City Holdings headquarters in Putuo District, Shanghai, to demand their overdue wages. They were reportedly workers from New City Group’s projects in Henan Shangqiu and Zhengzhou, engaged in exterior wall insulation work. Their wage protest had been ongoing for two days and one night as of last Friday.
Video footage from the scene showed that some workers even brought blankets and stayed inside the New City Holdings headquarters.
There have been reports of wage disputes in various projects in China since December 2024, including at projects by Vanke in Zhengzhou, Liaoning Dalian, and Wuhan, where workers demanded their unpaid wages. On January 1, in Liuzhou, Guangxi, workers climbed crane towers to protest, shouting “Return our blood, sweat, and tears money.” On January 3, in Liaoning, migrant workers gathered in front of government buildings, pleading for help to retrieve their hard-earned wages.
Recently, Jiangsu Lianyungang Zhongguang Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. announced an extended holiday of up to six months, leading to around 200 workers protesting for several days, accusing the company of effectively laying off employees. From December 29, 2024, to January 3, workers held multiple gatherings inside and outside the factory, demanding fair economic compensation from the company.
On January 1, 2025, hundreds of bus and school bus drivers in Zoucheng, Shandong, staged a collective strike, protesting against the Zoucheng Guoyun Public Transport Company for withholding wages and failing to pay social security contributions. A driver claimed that the company had not paid wages for up to 8 months and had not contributed to social security for 10 years. After sharing this information on social media platforms, the driver’s post was complained about and deleted by the bus company.
Towards the end of 2024, several cities including Huludao in Liaoning, Nanning in Guangxi, and Xi’an in Shaanxi, witnessed sanitation workers going on strike due to delayed salary payments caused by tight local government finances.
During a meeting held by the Chinese State Council on January 3, 2025, it was acknowledged that aside from wage risks in the construction sector, mismanagement and delayed payments have led to an increase in wage disputes outside of construction projects. The State Council of China pledged to intensify efforts to address wage arrears, particularly focusing on construction projects, especially those involving government and state-owned enterprises.
Former Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Jiangang, currently living in the United States, previously remarked that when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) highlights an issue prominently, it signifies their awareness of the potential risks it poses to their regime’s stability and authoritarian rule. “Ultimately, everything they do boils down to one goal, which is to preserve power, or maintain the stability of their rule,” Chen expressed.
Simultaneously, the Chinese authorities are cracking down on lawyers assisting workers in pursuing wage claims. Female lawyer Gao Bingfang from Taian, Shandong, was sentenced to four years in prison on December 20, 2024, for assisting 75 migrant workers in reclaiming their unpaid wages.
The case stemmed from a subcontracted construction project where Taian Zhoudian Building Installation Engineering Company withheld the majority of payments from the second defendant (the subcontractor) after the project’s completion. The subcontractor used their own funds to settle the workers’ wages and then hired Gao Bingfang as legal representation to sue the main contracting company for wage arrears on behalf of the workers. However, the prosecution alleged that the subcontractor’s lawsuit against the construction company for withholding wages was fabricated, implicating Gao Bingfang.
During the trial, Gao Bingfang strongly maintained her innocence, stating she had no prior knowledge of the situation. Her defense lawyers argued that there was substantial evidence proving her ignorance of the subcontractor’s advance payment of wages, indicating no criminal intent or false litigation.
Lawyer Wang Yu from the 709 Institute stated to Radio Free Asia that the verdict in this case was absurd.