Thousands of Chinese miners gathered to stage a rare protest in a northeastern city over claims that they have not yet received any compensation for months and that the province's governor made a false claims about their wages

Furious miners from the Longmay Mining Holding Group Co. Ltd. and their family members marched towards in city of Shuangyashan on Saturday and held a protest in front of the firm's local office. The protests followed Governor Lu Hao's claim on March 6 that the 80,000 workers of Longmay had not experienced any wage cuts and that their salaries were paid on time.

Like Us on Facebook

According to eyewitnesses, the protesting miners held banners demanding their delayed payment is released. The protest was peaceful, although a large number of law enforcers were dispatched beforehand.

In response to the situation, the Heilongjiang province government has issued a statement confirming that a number of Longmay employees have  actually not been given their due pay and benefits, backtracking on the claim of Governor Lu.

Longmay admitted that it was not able to pay the miners' wages as well as taxes and insurance contributions. The statement revealed that Lu called for a special meeting in Longmay, Beijing, that afternoon. However, the statement did not mention the protest. It also did not make any comment about Lu's claims, but it hinted that he was allegedly given false data.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has reportedly offered its help to come up with the amount needed to pay the workers.

The recent protest and the government's change of stance highlights the growing sensitivity over China's employment issue, according to ABC News. Just like many other industries, state-owned mining companies are also struggling to boost efficiency or cut down compensation, amid the drastic downturn of coal demand due to the economic slowdown.

The task is particularly painful for Longmay, one of China's largest state-owned mine company, which needs to cut 22,500 people from its workforce in the future. The company allegedly has a staggering debt of 800 million yuan ($123 million) in back wages for 2014.

According to a January report by Caijing, a prominent financial news group, miners from Longmay have been experiencing continual wage cuts. Even though salaries have been drastically reduced, the company still owes its employees between three and four months of back pay.

TagsChina coal industry, Longmay, Chinese miners, economic slowdown, coal, Lu Hao