We've seen plenty of press coverage about China's new labor contract law and its attendant rise in wages and improved benefits packages. But it would be naive to believe that Chinese workers now feel happy and secure. In reality, they are vulnerable and often thrown into unusual situations -- such as arriving at work to find that their bosses are no-shows.

Such was the case for more than 1,000 workers of Xinyao Techonology Co. Ltd. -- a plastic molder in Shunde, Guangdong province -- who responded with extreme action when company management didn't show up for work last week, according to local media. Rumors spread quickly among the workers, who had not yet received their June paychecks, and they believed that the owner was unable to pay them because of a huge loss in the stock market.

To make up for their overdue paycheck, 1,000 day-shift workers scrambled to collect raw materials and equipment from the factory.

Local police rushed to the site, stopped the mad scene and retrieved the items that had been removed from the factory. Labor authorities are now on the case and in talks with the owner.

You may wonder why workers didn't seek legal protection instead of looting the factory. I see it as a manifestation of people's discontent and lack of faith in the legal system. In order to change that mind-set, the government will need to resolve all labor-relations cases in a consistent, fair and effective manner in the years to come.