Chinese miners 'unpaid for months' protest

Thousands of Chinese miners who say they have not been paid for months have staged a rare protest in a northeastern city.

Angry miners from the Longmay Mining Holding Group Co Ltd and their family members marched through the city of Shuangyashan on Saturday and gathered in front of the company's local offices.

In response, the government of Heilongjiang province issued a statement on Saturday night acknowledging that many Longmay employees are owed wages and benefits, backtracking from Governor Lu Hao's assertions earlier this month.

The action came after the provincial governor made the apparently false claim that no miner working for the province's largest publicly-owned mining company was owed a penny.

The government of Heilongjiang province issued a statement on Saturday night acknowledging that many employees of Longmay Mining Holding Group Co Ltd are owed wages and benefits.

That followed a march by workers through the city of Shuangyashan earlier on Saturday to protest Governor Lu Hao's remarks dismissing their claims.

Like many industries in China's northeastern rustbelt, Longmay is struggling to boost efficiency and reduce its workforce amid a severe slump in coal demand brought on by sharply slowing economic growth.