Chinese steel executive beaten to death, The violent riot involved up to 30,000 workers



Chinese steel executive beaten to death

Financial Times, By Richard McGregor in Beijing

July 26 2009 12:17

The privatisation of a state steel company has been scrapped after an executive was beaten to death by workers angry at the threat to their jobs from a takeover of their firm, according to a Hong Kong rights group.
The violent riot in north-east China late last week involved up to 30,000 workers, a reminder of the ongoing sensitivity about lay-offs from state firms in industries targeted for consolidation.

....Tonghua Iron & Steel, a traditional state enterprise, has about 50,000 workers and has struggled to make consistent profits in recent years, making it a prime target for restructuring by its owner, Jilin province.

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