US businessman held hostage in his own factory

[Opti]

This is an odd one. He's being held hostage by the workers because they want the severance money the laid off 35 workers got even though (for now) they still have their jobs. I think if I were him I'd be tempted to shut the factory down even though it wasn't in his original plan. WWYD?



An American businessman in China has said that workers at his own factory are holding him hostage in a dispute over money.

Medical supply magnate Chip Starnes said his employees have refused to let him leave since Friday because of a spat over severance pay.

He said that large groups of staff follow him around the site in a remote Beijing suburb, blocking all the exits if he tries to escape.

“I have been here a long time,” the 42-year-old said in an interview from inside the factory. “I am not being physically abused or anything like that. The first couple of days were very tough. There was more mental stuff going on."

Starnes claimed that the problems began when he was laid off 35 people and paid them severance packages.

Jealous of the large lump sums they received, the remaining workers demanded that they get the same amount, even though they still had jobs.

“All the workers who have jobs want full severances,” Starnes said.

He added that most of the employees had been with the company for most, if not all, of its time in China and he had no intention of moving the business.
behindthewall.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/25/19130612-us-businessman-china-workers-are-holding-me-hostage-in-my-own-factory?lite

The article has a video and you can see the workers crowding the reporter at the end.

[Opti]

I'm surprised no one commented. If it were you, how would you get out?

[hurley1980]

The article above conveniently leaves out the part that he has not paid the currently employed workers in 2 months.

link

I think he is a scumbag from what I've read.

[Deleted]

 Medical supplies manufactured by disgruntled under-paid/unpaid employees... who doesn't want to use those, eh?

 I prefer not to insult those who prepare and serve my food. And I dread the quality control issues that might arise from screwing over the people who manufacture medical supplies.

[Opti]

Thanks for the link Hurley. I think yours sheds more light on why the workers did what they did.
I think they have a right to be worried the plant will shutdown if no one has been paid for two months and they are selling trees on the property to raise cash.

[billisonboard]

...
An American businessman in China has said ...
Medical supply magnate Chip Starnes said ...
He said ...
... the 42-year-old said ...
Starnes claimed ...
... Starnes said.
He added ...

I always wonder when the "news report" is simply told be one person with a vested interest in the situation.

[Opti]

Jun 26, 2013 8:44:54 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Hmmm, first of all, if that factory were in the US the workers would have legal right to pursue their pay.  Second of all, if workers did that here they would be arrested for kidnapping.

But the guy outsourced his work to China, like many others, and probably had to in order to stay competitive.  Fine.  He appears to be in the process of doing the same thing to India now.  Fine. 

He is also apparently not paying his bills at his current location, and even worse, he is not paying his employees.  He is also in China, playing by their rules.  The one employee is owed $390.00 US for two months work.  Multiply that by 100 employees and he only owes them $39,000.00.  Seems to me he should pay his employees what he owes them.  I don't see how he should be responsible for giving severence to his current employees who have not been terminated, but I don't know how things work in China.

I think that was a choice he made, i.e. paying the severance but I don't know. What is becoming very obvious to me today in this soundbite oriented world that we get told so little information it is easy to draw the wrong conclusions.

[Opti]

Good catch BTW Bills. I wish I had noticed that initially too.

[Opti]

Well he got released after they settled. Of course the MSN/NBC/Reuters article makes no mention of the workers going without pay for two months, etc.



When I get my PW emailed to me I plan to "comment" on the lack of research revealed
to the readers.

[djAdvocate]

Jun 25, 2013 12:59:56 GMT -5 Opti said:

I'm surprised no one commented. If it were you, how would you get out?

it depends on what the cost of my freedom was, and what the value of it is.

[djAdvocate]

Jun 27, 2013 13:02:37 GMT -5 @patstab said:

Employs them for nothing and still doesn't want to pay them.  That should say it all.

2 months wages $390, I think even in China that's pitiful.

$1.13/hr?  yeah.  according to what IB told me a month ago, this is 1/2 to 1/3 of prevailing in China right now.

[djAdvocate]

Jun 27, 2013 13:46:24 GMT -5 @patstab said:

It's all about greed, always has been.  They make stuff dirt cheap then raise the prices here more and more.

i'd like to know how much the "hostage" takes home a month.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

I hope he shuts down the plant and fires them all.  That's what I'd do.  That, or I'd sell the whole company to a foreign operator with no scruples whatsoever.  

[mmhmm]

Jul 3, 2013 18:52:29 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

I hope he shuts down the plant and fires them all.  That's what I'd do.  That, or I'd sell the whole company to a foreign operator with no scruples whatsoever.  

And the beat goes on.  La de da de da.   La de da de day.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 3, 2013 18:52:29 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

I hope he shuts down the plant and fires them all.  That's what I'd do.  That, or I'd sell the whole company to a foreign operator with no scruples whatsoever.  

me too.  some things are not worth any $$ that might be made.  like (lack of) freedom.