SHANGHAI: More than 1,000 workers at a plant in China's commercial hub Shanghai went on strike for at least two days over layoffs ahead of a planned move, with some clashing with police, a rights group said Friday.
Several workers have been injured in conflicts between protesters and police at the factory, which is owned by Singapore electronics firm Hi-P International, the US-based group China Labor Watch said in a statement.
The protest, which began Wednesday, came after the company laid off about 1,000 workers as it plans to shift production to the nearby city of Suzhou, it said. Staff claimed they lost their jobs without notice and were given inadequate compensation.
Hi-P International's management in Singapore told AFP, "The impact is very minimal and we are working with the relevant authorities."
Shanghai police could not immediately be reached for comment on the protest, the latest in a spate of unrest in China as an increasingly demanding workforce faces off with employers struggling with high costs and falling exports.
Hi-P International manufactures for the telecommunications, consumer electronics and computing industries, according to its website.
The unrest comes as China's exports and manufacturing activity weaken, hit by falling demand due to economic woes in Europe and the United States -- both crucial markets for the export-driven economy.
Last month, more than 7,000 workers went on strike at a factory in the southern province of Guangdong making New Balance, Adidas and Nike shoes, clashing with police in a protest over layoffs and wage cuts.
Also last month, hundreds of female workers walked off the job at a bra factory in the southern city of Shenzhen, the manufacturing metropolis that borders Hong Kong, to demand overtime payments.
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