China: Retrenchment in China after Corona, employees of COVID test kit manufacturer Zybio protest

After the outcry from Corona in China, amidst the news of the slow pace of the economy, news of the retrenchment of workers is also being received from there. In this episode, Jibio, a company that manufactures Covid test kits in Chongqing, southwest China, fired thousands of workers. The workers protested against this sudden retrenchment. This information was given by the Bulgarian financial blog site Zero Hedge.

Employees expressed anger, ransacked the office

Online videos related to the incident show workers breaking boxes of COVID test kits, vandalizing company offices, and clashing with police. Protesters threw water bottles and plastic boxes at the police officers running away.

Employees protest against retrenchment

According to a report by Zero Hedge, the workers told The Epoch Times during interviews that the unrest started after the company suddenly laid off some 8,000 employees. According to the report, the employees were told they could go home for Chinese New Year two weeks in advance. Most of the furloughed workers were hired to meet the urgent demand for tests created by China's zero-Covid policies. The drugmaker's business took a hit after the Chinese government ended its zero-covid policy and ended mandatory testing. A Zebio employee confirmed that the protests were triggered by the company's sudden layoffs.

One in five Chinese unemployed

According to Chinese government statistics, currently, around 20 million people aged 16 to 24 are unemployed in China. These figures do not include rural unemployment. The unemployment rate in China has also increased significantly. At present, about one in five people of working age in the country are unemployed.

Also Read: China: China is underreporting the number of deaths due to the COVID-19 epidemic: WHO