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From Magic City Morning Star R.P. BenDedek
Yesterday I published a brief note entitled: Foreign Teachers Beware: EET China Management Physically violent in which I brought to foreign teacher's attention the fact that I was about to publish an article on the true nature of the E.E.T. English Training Schools in China. Today I will present to you as briefly as possible a few pertinent facts concerning a rather remarkable and violent day in Baotou City Inner Mongolia China. The story is so long and complex that I will commence with some statements made in point fashion. Please Note that since viewing the CCTV footage of the event, this article has been slightly amended - and is indicated in such places. (Legal Outcome Feb 2011) 1. E.E.T. Baotou was instructed by the Education Department Foreign Affairs Office to pay an American teacher her due salary. 2. When she went to collect her money, she not only discovered that it was far less than arranged, but that she was required to confront two security officers in uniform, and a Chinese E.E.T. Office Manager who did not speak English. I presented myself at that meeting. Since my presence had not been anticipated and the Office Manager had not been given specific instructions relating to persons accompanying the foreign teacher, my presence was not refused. 3. I asked that a bilingual member of EET staff be in attendance to act as translator and it was refused, even though there were several competent persons in the office just 30 meters away. 4. I informed the Office Manager that the American Teacher needed to consult with government officials about this discrepancy in amount and that we would return. 5. We went to the Education Department Foreign Affairs Office as everyone was going out to lunch and met an English speaking person at the door who introduced us to the Director. After some conversation, and being apprised of the situation, he told us to come back at 3pm for a meeting with the EET School that would be presided over by Government Officials. 6. At 3 pm we returned and were directed to the appropriate meeting room. Before officials arrived, management from EET arrived and I was immediately accused of being a criminal, and I was refused an opportunity to talk privately with the Franchiser. 7. When the meeting commenced, EET Management made objection to our Chinese friend being present. The objection was based on the fact that an official interpreter had been provided and that other persons were not welcome. Government officials did not find Miss Mae's presence objectionable. EET Management agitatedly and abusively began shouting at her and so she left the room. 8. The EET management objection was an obvious ploy. Miss Mae was the original Office Manager for EET. The justification for their objection proved baseless and my counter to it proved to have been legitimate, because on two occasions during the discussions, the official translator would not translate discussions between Officials and EET Management. 9. Government officials were otherwise very pleasant, helpful, and kind hearted and went to great lengths to make all points from both sides clear. When it seemed that everything was settled, another matter was raised by EET Management that just defies belief, and indicates the perverse nature of those who know how to snake their way around the law, around truth, and around decency. 10. Foreign Teacher affairs are governed by four separate government departments. This department was the one in charge of contracts. When it seemed everything was settled, EET Management demanded that the American teacher pay a penalty for breaking her contract. [When Management refused to return her passport so that she could check her visa status, she refused to work. They agreed to return her passport if she signed a document. That document required her to make admissions that would prevent her from taking any legal action.] When she discovered that her visa was not a work visa, she left to seek redress. 11. Government officials decreed that since the foreign teacher had in fact broken the contract, that she was indeed liable to pay penalty to the school. When we objected to this, EET Management said that today's matter was about contract, not about 'police matters' i.e.: visas. 12. I objected, pointing out that the teacher cannot be penalized for refusing to break the laws of China. She was not legally allowed to work without a work visa, and the provision of the visa was the responsibility of the EET Management, and that therefore, EET had broken the contract. Government officials decreed that there would be no penalty to be paid. 13. The American Teacher received her money. There are other matters not included here, relating to a second and third confrontation between EET Management personnel and Miss Mae. Miss Mae had been the original Officer Manager for EET Baotou. I cannot comment on certain events or their chronological progression, but I can say this. I witnessed an altercation between Miss Mae and Mr. Gao Jiawei, the Taiwan owner of the EET Training Schools Franchise. I immediately ran into the foyer through the two successive doorways, and saw Mr. Gao and Miss Mae 'grappling with each other like wrestlers'. Before I could get to them, they fell to the ground. Mr. Gao was on his right side facing out toward the entrance, and Mae was 2 feet away on her back. They both must have had the wind knocked out of them because neither made a move to continue wrestling. As I skirted Mr. Gao to assist Miss Mae, Mr. Wu the EET Baotou office manager - he's tall, powerful and huge - began powerfully kicking Mae in the ribs and stomach, all the while screaming obscenities at her in Chinese. The Female American Teacher threw herself onto Mr. Wu and I grabbed Miss Mae and rushed her outside away from the commotion. [CCTV footage shows that Miss Mae got herself up off the floor while I stayed between her and the E.E.T. Office Manager Mr. Wu.] Mr. Wu followed us and attempted to beat Miss Mae. [CCTV footage shows that Mr. Wu preceded us outside and then returned to attack Miss Mae] I think there were at least five separate attacks and attempted attacks on her within just a few minutes. As I tried to protect Miss Mae and drag her away from Mr. Wu's reach, others were trying to keep Mr. Wu from his repeated attempts to do Miss Mae physical harm. On one occasion he took off his shoe and ran at her. I jumped in front of her and threw my arms around her. I thought I was going to be clobbered. I felt his body against mine, and I felt something hit my right shoulder but it was not a 'blow' as such. I did wake up today with pain on the left lower side of my back, but have no idea if I was struck or injured myself dragging Miss Mae (she's a solid woman). Now all the time this was going on, EET Baotou franchisee, Cui Lirong [Sabrina Chui], the refined lady-like and distinguished 'Professional Businesswoman' was screaming Chinese obscenities for the entire world to hear. We who have worked with her know very well what a witch she is, but this was the first time I had seen her reveal her true nature publicly. She was like a foul mouthed piece of 'who knows what'. I really could not believe that she had finally let her public mask slip. As the physical mayhem abated, Mr. Wu focused his Chinese abusive obscenities on me. I think that the kindest thing he called me was a 'foreign bastard'. Finally the police arrived and three members of EET Management plus Miss Mae were escorted away. Such was the violent nature of what I saw and heard yesterday, that I advised the Australia Embassy in Beijing. [I am supposed to face these same people on my own in Shanghai next week when my complaints will be lodged.] Government Officials this morning sent the police to my apartment to make sure that I was safe and that all my paperwork was in order. Miss Mae spent the night in pain before being examined in the hospital this morning. [see endnotes for further information] The American teacher spent the night at my place crying her eyes out and snoring. [Yes! women do snore!] I spent the whole night alternating between writing, crying, smoking and wishing to hell I could just get the hell away from these predators who call themselves decent law abiding citizens, but who manipulate, control, contrive, deceive, and ultimately abuse not just individuals, not just the legal system, but the whole image of China. I should like to extend my thanks to the Government of Baotou and to the officers of the Education Department Foreign Affairs Office, who, (although they did not let the interpreter translate it), chided the EET company for the manner in which they deal with foreigners. I understood enough of what was said to know that EET was told not to cheat foreigners, not to lie to them, and to remember that foreigners are friends and guests in China and that life is difficult for them in a foreign system about which they have little understanding. They should not be taken advantage of. To those of you reading this who may be considering working for EET China, you need to be aware of a few of the illegal practices carried out in relation to my employment with EET Baotou and with that of the American Teacher. Today the police explained to me quite carefully, quoting from the law books, that it is not legal for a foreign teacher to work in any other city than that in which his visa was issued. If you work for an EET school and you are working in a city which is not that in which the WORK Visa was issued, you should immediately go to the Foreign affairs office and seek advice and direction to the relevant department. If in your EET branch, or in any other private or public school, your passport is being withheld, demand its return and if that is denied, then go to the police. Do not under any circumstances sign anything. Whatever it is that you may fear will happen if you do not sign, is not as bad as what will happen if you allow your school to manipulate you to act in a manner not in accordance with the law. If you get an invitation from the EET schools in China, just remember, that no matter how many foreigners have told you that the Manager or Franchisee of a particular location is a wonderful person, that they are required as a matter of policy, never to admit any guilt; to get you to sign papers that will exonerate EET from any legal action; and they will use their expert knowledge to manipulate the complex legal system in China to demonstrate that 'you', not they, have done wrong. [See the December 11th 2010 article] As long as this article is, it is the short version of yesterday's events, and there are many more things to be written. It is very important that people like David Gao the EET Franchiser, and Franchisees like Sabrina Chui 'understand foreign culture'. The fact that Chinese employers get away with treating their workers like indentured slaves does not mean that we foreigners will silently put up with it and if Private Schools in China want to employ foreigners, then they need to understand 'foreign culture'. One aspect of foreign culture is 'standing up for justice', another is 'standing up for the oppressed', and while I can do nothing for all the Chinese indentured slaves in private schools in China, I can at least do something to help foreigners - Just like I did on Friday. Had I not stood up to fight for this American Teacher, EET would have crushed her into the dust. I can be removed from China; I can be prevented from re-entering, and I can be denied the chance to work as a teacher in China, but one thing about foreign culture that the thoroughly despicable Chinese employers just do not understand, is that in foreign culture, 'we will not be silent'. I have done what I promised I would do. That is the most important difference between the EET Franchiser's Culture and My Culture. I kept my word! R.P. Deecke V.I.P. Footnotes: Baotou Government Officials were in no way connected to the attack recorded above. Throughout the process of complaint against EET School Baotou, they carried out their duties in an honest, transparent and professional manner. With my personal security having previously been threatened by this company, and given local police visitation to my home to ensure that I was in a safe location, and having received warnings from friends about the possible danger I may be in right now, I consider it unwise to go to Shanghai to make my formal complaint against the EET training schools. I have helped one foreigner directly, and I have done my best to keep others from falling into this company's hands. My personal losses are therefore insignificant. Some Background to this story:
The article published December 11th 2010 also related to an EET school. Thank you to all those foreign teachers who wrote in to express their appreciation for having written it. As at 31st December 2010 there has been no legal resolution to the bashing of Miss Mae by the Office Manager of EET. When contacted by police, representatives of Mr. Wu, Cui Lirong and Gao Jaiwei [Taiwan boss in Shanghai] all claim that they are out of the country, or in another city, or otherwise unavailable. Miss Mae has suffered medical problems since the incident and EET school has taken no responsibility. They have however offered her amounts varying between 500rmb and 3000 rmb as compensation for her troubles. She has never asked for money; only that justice be served. Apparently under Chinese law, Mr. Wu could spend 7 days in jail for the offence. Miss Mae has however progressed from lower level police officers up to the top bosses in her endeavour to seek justice. It seems that everyone is afraid of an international incident if the matter goes before the courts, since it involves so many different nationalities. © Copyright 2002-2008 by Magic City Morning Star |