Chen Jianjiao's Shanxi Yuci: Rescued 150 "indentured workers" in brick factories

At 6 a.m. on May 1, 1998, Chen Jianjiao received a distress call from Lin Jinpei, a villager in Zishengyan Village, Taiping Town, Shimen County, from Dongyang Town, Yuci City, Shanxi Province, saying that he and six fellow villagers I entered a black factory there - the Kaibai Brick Factory. After entering the factory, all my money was searched and I was forced to work hard day and night. I was not allowed to leave or transfer to another factory, I was not allowed to write letters, and I was not allowed to make phone calls. I was guarded day and night by eight thugs. Complete deprivation of personal freedom. All six of them were beaten and were in a very dangerous situation. At that time, Chen Jianjiao was the deputy mayor of the town. "The process of asking for help was very thrilling, just like in a movie."

They were penniless at the time. Lin Jinpei took advantage of the heavy rain in the morning and quietly ran out and used a watch as collateral to make a phone call. Before a few words were spoken on the phone, he immediately said: "Three guys are chasing me, hurry up and save us!" Then only the sounds of beating and cursing were heard, and the phone was disconnected.

After verifying the situation, Chen Jianjiao reported to the town leaders and went north to Yuci, Shanxi Province on May 12 to rescue these migrant workers.

On May 14, they rushed to Yuci City. At 8 o'clock in the morning, they ran to the Yuci City People's Congress Standing Committee and reported to Pang Tingqing, then director of the People's Congress Standing Committee. Pang took the case and said that such a thing would not be allowed to happen in Yuci City. He immediately reported the situation to the municipal government, and then appointed the Secretary-General of the Municipal People's Congress, the Deputy Director of the Municipal Labor Bureau, the Captain of the Municipal Labor Inspection Team, the Deputy Secretary of the Dongyang Town Party Committee, The Chairman of the National People's Congress and the director of the town police station drove to the Kaibai Brick Factory to investigate the actual situation.

When the car arrived at the factory, everyone was shocked by the scene. Chen's camera kept clicking. When the migrant workers saw this, they dropped their tools, ran over with their bodies covered in dirt, and cried loudly. There were only a few child workers who were involuntarily hiding here and there under the instructions of several small bosses in the factory.

The brick factory is privately owned. It is surrounded by a blank land with no other buildings. A simple and uneven road leads here. Most of the more than 150 migrant workers are from Hunan and Sichuan who were deceived from Taiyuan. and Gansu people. Migrant workers were deceived into entering the factory, and all their money was confiscated by the factory before being organized into groups. There are more than 30 people in each class, two of whom are named class leaders, who are actually supervisors and thugs. There are eight such supervisors and thugs in the entire factory, who are on duty day and night to monitor the migrant workers, even when they go to the toilet. Working hours exceed 14 hours a day.

After negotiations with the local party and government departments, six migrant workers in Shimen finally escaped from the tiger's mouth. When Chen Jianjiao and his party left the brick factory, migrant workers from other provinces rushed to the car and asked to be taken out. Seeing the tearful eyes of more than 100 migrant workers, Chen Jianjiao felt very heavy.

In the few nights after returning to Hunan, Chen Jianjiao did not sleep well, and quickly compiled a "Suggestions on Renovating Black Factories" material with more than 5,000 words and accompanying photos. Sent by express mail to Lu Gongxun, then director of the Standing Committee of the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress.

With the attention of Shanxi Province, on June 10, the local public security agency requested the arrest of 3 people and criminally detained 7 people in accordance with the law. More than 150 trapped migrant workers in six provinces were finally rescued.

Cangzhou, Hebei: Rescue Hunan migrant workers who were sold

Another incident involving a black brick factory occurred last year in Hebei. Another mysterious phone call once again revealed the shady story of a dark brick factory. At this time, Chen Jianjiao was already the chairman of the Xinguan Town People's Congress.

On June 20, 2006, the elderly parents of Chen Xiaoping, a laid-off worker at the original fruit tea station of the Shimen County Agricultural Bureau, cried and asked Chen Jianjiao for help, saying that their son Chen Xiaoping was working outside and was sold to a black brick factory to work hard. It has been more than half a year, and there is no news at all. I don’t know whether he is dead or alive.

It turned out that the two old men received a call from Jilin Province on June 14. The man claimed to have been in the same brick factory as Chen Xiaoping, and he escaped.

Chen Jianjiao immediately dialed the phone number of the migrant worker in Jilin Province and learned the truth: they were all migrant workers working outside, and had been abducted at the Beijing Railway Station by a man and a woman with a job application form. Yes, the recruiter told them that a bakery was in urgent need of a group of migrant workers. The work was easy, and the monthly salary was 1,200 yuan, with food and accommodation included. The migrant workers who were bent on making money were then taken to a brick factory called Xijizhuang Village in Xianwang Town, Dongguang County, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province.

The migrant worker said that the brick factory has a group of supervisors who get up at 3:30 a.m. every day, turn on their computers at 4:00 a.m., and work until it’s so dark that they can’t even see their hands. He was beaten severely but received no wages. He said he was beaten twice, and when he couldn't bear it any longer, he jumped off the wall late at night, dragging his bloody legs and crawling for several miles before escaping.

On August 25, according to the address provided by the migrant workers in Jilin Province, Chen Jianjiao rushed to Zhaowang Town, Dongguang County, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, and went to the Xiji Brick Factory to find out the truth on the pretext of buying bricks. The migrant workers he saw were all sallow, thin, and covered in dirt. Since the brick factory prohibited migrant workers from talking to the drivers and bosses who bought bricks, Chen was unable to find the migrant worker he was looking for, Chen Xiaoping. The next day, Chen Jianjiao and the relevant departments of Dongguang County rushed to Xiji Brick Factory. Finally, I found Chen Xiaoping, who looked like a dish.

Chen Jianjiao said to him: "Chen Xiaoping, I am Chen Jianjiao, representative of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress, and I am here to take you home today." Surprise suddenly flashed across Chen Xiaoping's black face covered with dirt, and he jumped excitedly. Start crying.

The surrounding migrant workers also swarmed around and asked to be taken out, but the supervisor raised the triangle belt in his hand and shouted: "Why are you shouting? Go to work!" and scared them back.

With the strong request of Chen Jianjiao and the support of the local labor department, the brick factory owner reluctantly settled Chen Xiaoping’s salary account. From February to August, the boss worked seven times in seven months. After deducting eight deductions, the total amount was 1,400 yuan, and the largest deduction was the 500 yuan spent when "buying" him.