Two Chinese engineers who were held captive by Pakistani Taliban militants last year have taken their employers to court, demanding compensation and a refund of medical expenses.

The People's Court in the Yanta District of Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, confirmed Friday it would hear the case on July 10.

The two engineers, 30-year-old Zhang Guo and 28-year-old Long Xiaowei, filed a lawsuit on June 12 against their former employers: Xi'an-based JiangBo Technology Corporation and Chinese telecom giant ZTE based in Shenzhen, a court official said on condition of anonymity.

Zhang and Long were sent by JiangBo Technology to Pakistan last May to supervise civil construction of TZE facilities, under a labor contract with JiangBo that was to expire on the day they returned to China.

The two were abducted by Taliban militants on Aug. 29. Zhang managed to escape seven weeks later and Long was held captive for 167 days. Both were seriously injured.

JiangBo Technology paid part of their medical expenses but did not renew their labor contracts, said Long, whose said his broken ankle and fibula still needed a second operation.

"It's unfair for the employer to terminate my labor contract before I recover from an industrial injury and am able to work again," said Long.

Zhang and Long claimed their employers had never offered them adequate social security schemes.

"JiangBo was supposed to buy us insurance against accidents and ailments before we left for Pakistan, but we never saw the insurance policy, without which my medical bill has become a heavy burden," said Long.

Zhang, who suffered mental problems after the ordeal, was facing the same dilemma.

Zhang said the company was moving when he paid one last visit to its premises in April. "It was a very unpleasant meeting and I narrowly escaped being beaten up by the security guards."

Xinhua's phone calls to JiangBo's new office were unanswered Friday. Calls to company executive Wang Chunpeng's cell phones were also unanswered.

On Tuesday, TZE published a statement saying it was watching the development of the case and urged JiangBo to "settle its dispute with the two workers in a reasonable and legitimate manner."

Yang Jun, representing Zhang and Long, said he was investigating whether JiangBo had been authorized by the provincial commerce department to provide human resources intermediary services overseas.

"If not, TZE should also be penalized for hiring employees from an illegal agency."

Yang said JiangBo had violated the two workers' rights by failing to provide adequate labor protection and safety training. It also violated labor law by paying off the workers' salaries, which averaged 12,000 yuan (1,714 U.S. dollars) a month for each, only after they came back to China, he said.

Chinese laws stipulate that wages have to be paid on a monthly basis.

He noted China still lacked labor laws and regulations to protect the rights of workers who were contracted to work overseas.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2009)