Several employees from defunct Fujian Crown Ocean Shipbuilding blocked the entrance of the shipyard on Saturday to protest against an unfair payment solution offered by the shipyard.
According to one employee, the shipyard has offered an unfair solution to employees that it will pay the salary arrears before October, under the condition that the employees agree to give up the rights to ask for compensation.
The shipyard employees filed a lawsuit against the yard in July 2014 over unpaid salaries and the court ruled the shipyard must pay the outstanding payments in October 2015, however the shipyard still hasn’t done so.
A local court in Fujian has frozen some assets of financially troubled Fujian Crown Ocean Shipbuilding in January, but still the amount is not enough to make payments to all employees of the shipyard.
Currently the shipyard has leased part of its shipbuilding facilities to Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding to build ship blocks and a subsidiary of China Railway Engineering Corporation to build steel structures. It also sold ship blocks and equipment from two unfinished bulkers at the shipyard. However, all the income hasn’t gone into the company’s account.
When contacted by Splash, an official at the shipyard’s parent company Crown Sea Shipping, denied that the company has offered unfair solutions to employees and said it is trying to complete the salary payment in 2016.
