Teachers forced to give away salaries to charity

SHANGHAI: More than 2,000 teachers in Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu province, were allegedly forced to "donate" about 4,000 yuan ($586) each to a charity fund launched by the local government in a move the authorities claimed would help the poor.

The teachers were forced to sign an agreement late last month which authorized the local educational bureau to take 4,000 yuan from their pay for a charity fund defined as "helping the poor".

However, the authorities did not specify where the money would go, Yangtze Evening Post reported yesterday.