Authorities in northern China said on Saturday they were trying to solve a job losses row that sparked protests by factory staff, but a protester said workers remained skeptical and angry. The factory, which employs around 4,000 people, had been shut for a week when the march began, another worker said on Friday. Employees angered by the closure of the factory set out on bicycle and foot from Baoding in Hebei province to Beijing to present a petition to the government, a centuries-old tradition.

They were angered by a factory restructuring plan that includes cutting jobs, and said a severance offer was insufficient. Local authorities talked them out of the march and provided buses to bring them back to Baoding, 'The workers are unhappy but no one cares, so we decided to march to Beijing to petition,' said Mr Yang. 'Many workers were at the factory a long time and given only a small severance. How can you not get angry?demonstrators said. Officials and protesters said there was no violence.