Panasonic staff continue protest
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"We are not preventing them from leaving. As long as they can give us a clear explanation, they can leave any time," he said.
The man said workers were worried that, if managers left and the factory was closed, they would not be heard.
"Our demand is reasonable. We want the factory to give us the same severance package as the other two factories which also belonged to Panasonic," a female worker said.
She said workers at the other factories got 120,000 yuan when the company closed other lines, but Panasonic Electronic Devices (Beijing) Company was only offering 50,000 yuan to workers at the Beijing factory.
She said workers' salaries of 1,200 yuan a month, in return for 12-hour working days, had not been raised for years.
"We don't want to lose our jobs, but if we can get money, at least it will be a consolation to us and our families," she said.
You Nan, a public relations official with Panasonic Corporation of China said the decision to close the production line was made for business reasons.
"It is a normal business change and we are sincere in wanting to talk with the workers," You said.
She emphasized that workers were not being dismissed but were being asked to volunteer to leave the company.
The initiative will end on Jan 29 and factory managers will consider their next step, You said.
She said the size of the severance package was in line with the law.
"The severance package should be fixed according to the years they worked," said Wang Fang, director of Zhicheng legal aid and research center for migrant workers.
Wang said, according to the law, the factory should pay workers who worked for 13 years salary for 13 months.
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