College Students Dispute with Talent Fair Sponsors in BeijingA human resources fair developed into a mass dispute Saturday morning in Beijing owing to irregular practices of the sponsors.The fair, which was scheduled to be held in the International Exhibition Centre on Saturday and Sunday, was said to be the first of its kind in Beijing after the Spring Festival. The organizers claimed a total of 500 big-name companies would attend the fair and charged each ticket for 20 yuan (US$2.4), twice as much as the the average fee of its kind. But when thousands of seniors, both from Beijing and other cities, arrived, they found there were only less than 200 companies recruting and they only occupied one of the centre's eight exhibition halls. To make the matter worse, most of companies are little potatos and start-ups. Feeling having been cheated, students required getting back the 20 yuan they paid. When the requirement was not met immediately, furious students crashed the exhibition desks in the hall at about 10:30 am, and the matter escalated when the gate of the exhibition centre was locked to prevent the students who had previously left the hall from coming back. Thousands of students crowed at the gate, shouting for the money back and the apoligy of the sponsors. However, students were not the only victims. According to a clerk at a recruiting company who declined to reveal her name, each stage cost 6,000 yuan (US$724), while the average fee is about 2,000 yuan (US$241). Dozens of policemen arrived immediately and thanks to their help, the matter was soon under control. No further conflicts happened. At 1:30 pm, the sponsors began to give back money to students and at 4:00 pm, most of the students had their money refunded. Those who had left were not so fortrunate, however. China Daily failed to contact the sponsors and relevant authorities for comment. |
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