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Hundreds of Chinese textile workers are on strike in the Romanian town of Bacau, north-east of Bucharest. They are demanding better pay and living conditions. About 400 Chinese women, the first to be employed legally in Romania, have asked for their monthly after-tax pay to double, from $350 to $700. But their manager has refused, saying it would bankrupt the textile company. He has accused employment agencies in China of inciting the workers. The Chinese employment agencies take a commission from the workers' monthly salary. Sorin Nicolescu told the BBC that he was paying about 1,200 lei ($450) to each worker before tax. That is roughly equivalent to the average wage in Romania.