Workers protest abrupt dismissal in Guangzhou

Japanese watch company says it is 'adjusting strategies'

Local government authorities have stepped into disputes at a large Japanese watch company's Guangzhou factory, after more than 70 of its workers accused the company of unceremoniously dismissing them.

The Guangzhou factory of Japanese timepiece brand Citizen posted a dismissal notice on Thursday afternoon, saying that "with the approval of the Guangzhou Municipal Board for International Investment, the company decided to dismiss its workers who should stop working by 2:30 pm. Details about contract and compensation will be discussed on Friday."

Seventy-four of 1,042 workers claim that the abrupt dismissal violates laws and refused to accept the compensation the company has offered.

"One minute I was working, the next minute I was told I was being dismissed by the company. It came suddenly and we couldn't believe it was true," a worker surnamed Zhao, 34, told the Global Times.

Zhao said that they were told by a Japanese executive that they were dismissed because "the company is adjusting its global market strategies."

The company also explained that it did not issue a prior notice as it "might affect the normal operations and the workers' emotions," the Yangcheng Evening News reported.

Zhao said that dozens of police officers came to the company to maintain order on Thursday and the company required workers to sign an agreement before 4:30 pm on Sunday, or they might not get anything.

In a Monday statement, the local government promised to coordinate the two parties and provide arbitration aid. It said it will also help the dismissed workers apply for unemployment insurance and offer them professional training.

"The company first offered compensation based on our length of service. I got seven months' salary plus one month for January, but they raised it after negotiations on Sunday," said Zhao, who worked in the factory for over seven years.

"The original agreement has many problems and it should offer us compensation equal to twice our years of service," said Zhao.

"The company kept calling us to sign the agreement between 8 pm on Sunday to 2 am on Monday," said Zhao, adding that management even delivered the files to his co-workers' homes and around 800 workers signed during that period.

The remaining ones will either apply for labor arbitration or sue, said Zhao.

The Guangzhou factory mainly produces dial plates and watch chains. Many workers said that the company sharply reduced the number of employees from 3,000 in recent years.

"It's not enough for the company to merely inform the local government. Labor laws state that the employer should inform the labor union or the workers a month in advance if it wants to dismiss 20 workers or more," said Wang Jiangsong, a professor at the China Institute of Industrial Relations.