A work stoppage has hit Stella Shoe, manufacturer of branded shoes, because of the company's alleged failure to pay housing allowance as required by Beijing.

The strike started on Sunday and was on its third day on Tuesday with about 5,000 employees joining the industrial action. Their number rose to 5,000 because workers from another facility joined the striking shoemakers based in Dongguan City, reports IBTimes.

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Stella makes branded shoes for Nike, Kenneth Cole, Timberland and other known expensive foreign brands. The finished products are sold in Europe.

In its website, Stella insisted that it complies with holiday labor law provisions.

Riot police, including K-9 units, have been deployed to the strike site, according to images posted on Chinese social media site Weibo. A Weibo user said the police were sent to pressure the striking employees, who wore orange shirts as a sign of protest, to return to their work.

China Labor Watch, a New York-based watchdog, said that one employee of Stella named Liu disclosed that the dogs had been unleashed and attacked the striking workers. The injured employees had to pay US$271 for medical treatment due to dog bites, including rabies injections.

Other workers were also hit by vehicles and hurt because they were blocking the factory's entrance.

Kevin Slaten, program coordinator of China Watch, said it does not know exactly for how long Stella has not paid the workers their housing allowance, but he said it is unlikely the employees would strike if the non-payment was just for one month.

The monthly housing allowance was mandated by law since many factory workers in rural China are migrants who have to pay rent in the city where the factories are located.

Labor strikes have been increasing in China, according to Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin. In 2014, there were 1,378 labor strikes or protests or almost twice the number of industrial action in 2013.

Their complaints were factory closures, low salaries and unpaid back wages and pensions. Social media as well as mobile phones help spread strike action among workers, reports Quartz.

TagsNike, Stella Shoe, Dongguan, labor strike