Riot Police have been deployed as hundreds of teachers gather in front of a government office in central China to stage a protest over unpaid wages and benefits, reports say.

The protest, which started Tuesday, has seen more than a thousand teachers gather in front of the government office building in Hengyang county in Henan province, reports Guancha.cn. The teachers claim that the local government did not pay their full salaries, social welfare contributions and subsidies.

Like Us on Facebook

Protesters either shouted or wrote in their banners that they want to get their salaries and “defend [their] rights,” a video footage of the protest showed. Riot police, carrying shields, were deployed to handle the situation. Although clashes transpired between both parties, no one was injured, the report said.

Protesters joining the rally blocked the main road in front of the government office and disrupted road traffic as well as office operations, reports People’s Daily Online. Because of this, police summoned six of the protesters to account for the trouble.

Teacher’s Sentiments

Teachers who joined the protest had various sentiments, reports the South China Morning Post. One protester said that their wages had been docked and their social welfare contributions had been withheld for more than 20 years. Another protester said the government spends too much money on vanity projects instead of paying the basic salaries of teachers.

Other reports said the teachers have been demanding for the year-end bonus of the past two years, as well as the salary increase since October 2014, in line with the national plan of salary increase, reports China Daily.

Teachers said in an open letter that they are working hard to make ends meet considering the problems with their salaries and the rising inflation. Despite that, they still haven’t received a clear answer from the government.

TagsHengyang county, education, teachers, salary, Protest, riot police