Miner wants to open chest to prove illness
- Source: Global Times
- [03:12 November 17 2009]
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By An Baijie
A coal miner from Sichuan Province said he is thinking about opening his chest to prove his job made him unhealthy.
The miner said Sunday he decided to take this route after another miner in Henan Province successfully secured compensation with this approach.
Wang Chengzhang, 46, a coal miner from Wangyang township, Renshou county, said he made the decision to draw public attention after his three month effort to claim compensation for his occupational disease was futile. He suffers from pneumoconiosis, according to local newspaper West China City Daily.
Wang has been digging coal underground for the Jinxin Energy Co., Ltd in Weiyuan county since 2002, where he earned less than 2,000 yuan ($293) per month.
Seven years later, he got complex symptoms including continuous cough, breathing difficulties and heart pressure in August, the report said.
Wang then went to hospital and was diagnosed with pneumoconiosis by a hospital affiliated to Sichuan University in September, and the diagnosis was confirmed a month later by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Sichuan Province.
Bringing the diagnosis results, Wang tried several times in October to contact the manager of his company for compensation but was refused.
He also resorted to the local arbitrary departments for help, but the effort was futile too.
Wang made up his mind to open his chest to prove his disease.
Wang's decision followed a similar high-profile case, in which Zhang Haichao, 28, a worker with wear-resistant material production for three years in Henan Province, chose to open his chest in June to prove his occupational disease against the diagnosis of local professional disease control bureau which said he got tuberculosis not related to his work.
He was diagnosed with occupational disease by experts from the Ministry of Health and got 615,000 yuan ($90,000) from his company, and graft officials from the local professional disease control bureau were sacked.
Yang Hanping, deputy head of China Institute of Industrial Relations, told the Global Times Monday that Wang's choice should not be encouraged.
"Worker's body should not be used as a bloody weapon for claim of rights," Yang said. "He should bring the suit to the court, which may take a moderate long time, about a year or two, for a final solution."
The State Council publicized a plan to prevent and control occupational diseases in August, expecting to solve all serious cases involved with occupational disease.
