The strike and protests held by Chinese workers at the Compagnie Mauricienne de Textile (CMT) has helped to shed a new light on their living conditions in Mauritius. Now that the situation is slowly getting back to normal, it should be the right time to stop and think about the reasons that led to this dissatisfaction.

This unrest has in a way outlined certain paradoxes. First, the protests were quite surprising as they involved workers of one of the most successful textile companies, which is supposed to have avoided the problems other companies have had to face recently. The other paradox is that these workers complain about long and hard working hours while they were the ones to ask for them on their arrival. All this may in fact translate the deep unease among these workers and the effect of the lukewarm welcome they get from Mauritians?

The death of one of their compatriots, Hu Xiao Bing, in the factory dormitory was the ?spark? that inflamed an already difficult situation. Actually, the protests didn?t start with the discovery of the body; it occurred when the police came to take the body away for the autopsy while they were doing funeral rituals.

All this was actually caused by a deep misunderstanding of their culture. They would have found it perfectly normal if the body had remained in the factory until the burial without the police investigating into the cause of death ? which finally turned out to be pneumonia. This is how it happens in the remote regions of China.

As a result, they started demonstrating and even clashed with the police. The posters they held in their hands showed that Hu Xiao Bing?s death was not the only reason for their discontent. ?Too much task make workers die? was one of the ?slogans? that could be read. Chinese workers, renowned for their capacity and willingness to work extremely long hours, were fed up with this situation.

But, according to bosses of textile companies, the most amazing thing is that most of them ask for supplementary hours as soon as they arrive in Mauritius. They are here to earn money ? often for their families in China ? and are ready to do anything for that purpose. A certain number of women workers even prostitute themselves to top up their wages.

The problem may have to be tackled at the root: if Chinese workers have to wear themselves out working in Mauritian factories, it is certainly because they earn less than they expected. Their agents in China held out the prospect of bright careers in Mauritius telling them their salaries would help them lead a comfortable life. They must be so disillusioned when they arrive here that they are ready to do anything to change the situation to their advantage. They finally get caught in a vicious circle: the management expects them to live up to their reputation for being extremely hard-working.

Mauritians reluctant to do the job

Beside the hard working conditions, Chinese workers also have to face the local people, who are not always welcoming towards them ? to say the least. Many do not even look at them; if they do so, they often openly laugh at them. As a result, they withdraw and have no social life. Contrarily to Indians and Sri Lankese, the language barrier poses serious problems which seriously hinder their integration into local life. Also it is a fact that many Mauritians appear xenophobic. Virulent words used by some against the Chinese workers during the protests have proved it.

Some people may believe these workers are taking their jobs away but the truth should be stressed: if factories employ foreigners, it is because they offer their labour more cheaply. But this may not be the only reason: Mauritians are more and more reluctant to work in textile factories and they should not complain about a situation they have helped to create.

There is however one certainty: Mauritius needs foreign labour and factories do not intend to stop employing foreigners. But a little bit of consideration from the management as well as from the public at large should help foreign workers feel more comfortable and prevent such problems from happening again.