A resident of Anhui made a banner saying "Reluctant to serve the people" in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, on Saturday, with the aim of presenting it to the local district Labor and Social Insurance Bureau (LSIB), as he was not satisfied with how they have dealt with his complaint about a former employer.

The district LSIB held a small press conference on Thursday, saying that they cannot accept the case as the two-year time limit for dealing with Zhou's complaint had expired - even though they do wish to help him.

Zhou was employed as a software engineer with the Jiangsu-based General Electric Medical System Ltd. He told the Global Times that he was forced to leave his position on July 10, 2008, after he told the local authorities that the company had not paid him for extra work.

He did not receive any response from the district LSIB after he repeatedly contacted them to make his complaints.

Zhou said he had wanted to sue the LSIB for administrative nonfeasance, but he was advised to try to negotiate with the bureau.

He took the advice and withdrew his lawsuit, but he soon regretted this.

"I have no other efficient choice but to hold the ironic banner in the center of the city to expose the government's nonfeasance," Zhou said.

He said that it was the third time that he was brandishing the same banner to ask for help – but that it was the first time that he was receiving so much attention.

"The government is only finding excuses to avoid dealing with my case," said Zhou. "All I want is to regain my due rights."

"It is understandable and lawful for Zhou to behave this way," Chen Tao, a law expert with the Beijing Lawyer Association, told the Global Times.

Chen said Chinese people don't usually have much understanding of their legal rights, and he suggested that more citizens should insist on protecting their rights - as long as they don't break the law.