The government has tried to crack down on corruption in recent years, sentencing dozens of officials, workers and foreign businesspeople to lengthy terms.
In December 2008, a group of 303 Chinese activists, lawyers, intellectuals, academics, retired government officials, workers and peasants put forward their own manifesto titled Charter 08, calling for constitutional government, respect for human rights and other democratic reforms.
Officials, workers and volunteers are stressing the availability of both health coverage and financial assistance for low- and moderate-income families.
Official health workers sometimes face physical resistance from those they seek to help.
Sheikh Farid Uddin, a Savar police official, said: "Workers protested for their compensation and back pay.
A third demanded, "Dismiss Gong Shangwu, liberate Liaoyang," a reference to a senior official whom workers accuse of criminal activities.
A couple of miles away, in the compound of the deputy governor's official residence, workers were doing the same.
A Tokyo Electric official said workers had managed to restore lighting in the central control room of Reactor No. 1, an important step toward restarting its cooling system.
A union official said workers would have to weigh the economy, past wage concessions and terms of the agreement before deciding whether to ratify it.
