SOH News Desk

Breaking News - Guo Quan exposes dismissal of 600,000 workers by China Petroleum

                                
Human rights attorney Guo Quan has, in an open letter, exposed the illicit dismissal of 600,000 workers by China Petroleum Corporation.

A China Democratic League member, a former secretary of the Nanjing economic reform commission, and currently an Associate Professor at Nanjing Shifan University, Guo Quan on the 19th, issued an open letter to Chinese state heads, Hu Jin-Tao and Wen Jia-Bao. To demand the release of Li Guohong who fought for the rights of 600,000 workers who were dismissed by China Petroleum Corporation.

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In the letter he exposed that the company dismissed its workers by buying out the service age of its worker, virtually depriving them of service leave and petition rights. Guo Quan said the autocracy of the CCP caused the tragedy, and he’s prepared to fight for freedom and democracy in China.

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Guo Quan says he’s been defending the rights of the dismissed workers from 2000-2001 against China Petroleum Corporation. Since 2000, one of China’s largest state-owned enterprises in the petroleum industry, has dismissed nearly six hundred thousand workers, and only paid a one off compensation between 50,000 to 100,000 Chinese Yuan. The workers lost their jobs and social security, leaving them struggling on the verge of poverty. Upright individuals like Guo Quan, Li Guohong and Tang Jingling volunteered to help workers safeguard their rights. But Li Guohong was detained two weeks ago; on the 16th his family members were aware that he was sentenced to eighteen months in forced labour camp by the public security department of the Central China Oil Field Corporation.

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[Recording]

The reason is that we are organising some attorneys, to help the nearly six hundred thousand workers who were dismissed by the Sinopec and PetroChina for various reasons.

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Guo Quan pointed out that vulnerable groups in China with no legal protection are in a very pitiful position. If the oil workers tried to assemble to petition, they’ll be arrested for “stirring up trouble”. If they discuss the petition in public, they also get arrested for “inciting a collective petition”. Guo Quan points out that these problems are institutional problems, not just with the economic or legal system; but with the political system as well.

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[Recording]

“At the same time some problems can only be solved when we are in a democratic society. It is impossible to fundamentally solve the problem under one Party rule.”

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The leader of the oil sector said that those workers voluntarily signed the dissolution of the labour relations agreement. Guo Quan accused the company leadership of deceiving the workers and having no conscience. In his view, the company’s one off buyouts of the age of services, didn’t consider inflation or devaluation of the currency, it is very inhumane. Workers devote their youth and labour for the enterprises for decades, but lost all social security and medical insurance after their unemployment. It is equivalent to the loss of the right to life.

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[Recording]

“Apart from our hundreds of thousands or more than hundred thousand for living expenses, what about the medical insurance and social security, and their rights to work? Indemnity under many categories are involved. Outright buying of the service age does not exist in other countries but China.”

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Guo Quan accused the authority of lacking any conscience; they lock up the volunteers to ‘reform’ them through forced labour. These volunteers only want to help the workers defend their rights. He criticized the system of reformation through forced labour, as inhumane. Guo Quanzhong stated that he is also determined to fight for democracy and freedom till he dies.

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[Recording]

“We do not fear being arrested one after another.”

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He said by dawn, perhaps they’ll be a police car and handcuffs waiting for him downstairs. Perhaps he’ll be facing trial and assaulted day and night. He may be confined in prison without seeing daylight or served the death penalty. He has no fear for all of these but he hates to see the Chinese people living under a tyrannical system, suffering. Guo Quan also hopes his open letter garners widespread notice from the people, and that the letter awakens more Chinese to end the one-party dictatorship.

Guo Quan is a member of the Chinese Democratic League. He was a former state-owned enterprises cadre, a Secretary of the Nanjing city government’s economic reform Commission and a Court cadre. He was also a Master of Laws and Doctor of Philosophy from Nanjing University. Since 2001, he was an associate professor at the Nanjing Shifan University; he is the instructor for Masters students. A week ago, he published an open letter to the state heads Hu and Wen to urge them to reform the political system. The open letter calls on China to reform its political system, to discuss the multi-party elections and other issues.

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The above report is brought to you by Eng Truong and Daniel Teng for Breaking News on SOH Radio Network.