China Economic Review
Charting China’s changing economic terrain · Since 1990

Union leader: "Hostile forces" stirring up jobless

February 18, 2009

China must guard against "hostile forces" within and outside the country trying to stir up trouble among unemployed workers, said Sun Chunlan, vice-chairman of the state-backed All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), Reuters reported, citing state media. Sun said police task forces have been sent to all regions of the country to get a better understanding of what is needed for regional stability. He added that China’s official trade unions would extend aid to more than 10 million unemployed migrant workers in the form of training or "living assistance." According to Beijing’s top planning agency, 20 million jobs have been lost in Guangdong province alone, where a third of the country’s exports are produced. A senior Guangdong police official warned that the public security outlook in the province could be "grim" as jobless workers could turn to crime.

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