Over 40,000 employees of Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings Ltd marched for another day in the longest labor dispute in recent memory in China. Friday was different however, because it was the first time in more than 10 days that the Chinese government took action against the strikers, arresting dozens as about 1,000 employees marched toward the facilities of the world?s largest shoe maker. China?s official national union?s chapter, the Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions pushed for workers to tone down protests and ?act rationally?. The protests were ignited when it was discovered that social security contributions by the company may or may not have been made in accordance with Chinese law. The company has said that it would correct any missed or too small contributions it had made if the employees also corrected their contributions for those payments.
See "Chinese government trade union to mediate shoe factory strike by tens of thousands of workers", Fox News, April 17, 2014