Mozambican Workers Strike, Claim Abuse by Chinese Employers

More than 200 Mozambican construction workers have downed tools in protest at alleged beatings by their Chinese employers and poor working conditions, some of the strikers said Wednesday.

The 230 workers, who are employed by a Chinese state-owned construction company to build a three-kilometer (two-mile) bridge and a 74-kilometer ring road in the Mozambican capital Maputo, have been on strike since Saturday.

They also claim that an end of year bonus has not been paid.

"These Chinese have no respect for the people. They insult us, beat and send us away when they want and for no reason," said Antonio Mavila, a worker who claims to have suffered repeated assault.

"We cannot continue to work without being paid and without being respected as human beings," another worker John Matusse told Agence France Presse.

Their employer, the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), did not respond to AFP requests for comment.