Beijing
Workers across China are protesting after not receiving their wages. The protests are growing in places like Hebei, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces. People working in construction, teaching, and factories are demanding their overdue payments.
Many local governments in China are short on money. The drop in the property market has badly hurt their main income source—land sales. To manage the crisis, some towns are taking new steps. For example, in Gushan Town of Zhejiang province, the local committee in Pingtang village said from May 10, people must pay sanitation and parking fees. If they don’t, their vehicles will be clamped starting June 1.
Last year in November, China’s Ministry of Finance announced a support package worth 10 trillion yuan (about USD 1.38 trillion) to help local governments deal with debt problems. But the situation is still bad in many areas.
According to a report by Radio Free Asia, even though worker protests are not new in China, they are increasing now. Teachers in Shandong’s Zaozhuang city say they have not been paid for six months. Anger is growing among workers in schools, hospitals, and cleaning services.
China's economy is also under pressure from falling retail sales and weaker industrial production. On top of that, new U.S. tariffs have made it harder for Chinese goods to sell abroad. These higher taxes, which began in March and increased again in April, are hurting exports.
People are using social media to show their frustration. The government is being urged to act fast before the situation gets worse.
