The five Chinese construction workers who were arrested in Romania following a labor dispute were released on Wednesday, a provincial labor official said.

Shen Fengche, deputy director of the Jilin labor and social security department, yesterday said more than 200 workers from Hebei, Jilin and Jiangsu provinces are still stranded in Romania following the dispute.

A total of 143 of them are from Jilin, he said.

The men began working for Romanian firm SCE-GMSSRL in February, after signing contracts with the Jilin Zhongjian intermediary employment agency.

The detained workers were released following negotiations between staff from the Chinese embassy in Bucharest, the Romanian workers union, local police and SCE-GMSSRL, Shen said.

"We will spare no effort in helping the workers with their current troubles, while continuing to demand better pay and conditions for Chinese workers from Romanian employers," he said.

The Jilin Zhongjian intermediary employment agency has been ordered to temporarily suspend its operations, he said.

The labor dispute occurred because SCE-GMSSRL failed to meet the terms of the employment contract with regard to living procedures for the Chinese workers, Shen said.

The firm also failed to pay workers on time, he said.

The Chinese embassy lodged a diplomatic protest against the Romanian labor authority and urged it to solve the dispute as soon as possible, Shen said.

Under the employment contract, SCE-GMSSRL is responsible for handling all living procedures for the workers after their arrival in Romania, he said.

But it has failed to do this, he said.

The workers' visas expired just six months after they entered the country, he said.

Authorities in Romania deported four Chinese workers and detained five others for not having valid visas, the embassy said.

As of Nov 20, SCE-GMSSRL owed more than 76,000 euros ($106,000) in wages, he said.

Following negotiations with the Jilin Zhongjian agency, SCE-GMSSRL paid wages due for August, and has agreed to pay off the remainder soon, Shen said.

In the meantime, the Jilin Zhongjian agency will pay the workers and wait for compensation from the Romanian firm.

"SCE-GMSSRL has agreed to handle all matters regarding the workers' living procedures," Shen said.

(China Daily December 25, 2008)