昨天
Hundreds of pneumoconiosis miners in Fengjie, Chongqing, stage collective protests demanding promised medical relief (2026.08.25–09.08) From August 25 to September 8, hundreds of miners suffering from pneumoconiosis staged repeated collective protests, going to the Fengjie County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in Chongqing multiple times to demand that the local government honor its policy commitments and provide medical treatment and basic livelihood support. According to the workers, they had worked underground in coal mines in Fengjie and Wuxi counties and developed pneumoconiosis from prolonged exposure to coal and silica dust. Between 2005 and 2021, Fengjie and Wuxi shut down all coal mines within their borders, citing frequent mining accidents and pollution. In 2022, the Fengjie County Health Commission and several other departments jointly issued the "Fengjie County Implementation Plan for the Treatment and Relief of Closed-Mine Workers Diagnosed with Pneumoconiosis After Leaving Their Posts" (Document No. Fengjie Weifa [2022] 141), intended to provide dedicated living allowances, employment-hardship subsidies, and basic medical care to workers diagnosed only after the mines had closed. The workers say, however, that the policy has never been fully implemented.