More than 200 Mozambican construction workers have gone on strike in protest at alleged beatings by their Chinese employers and poor working conditions, some of the strikers said.

The 230 workers, who are employed by a Chinese state-owned construction company to build a three-kilometre bridge and a 74-kilometre ring road in the Mozambican capital Maputo, have been on strike since Saturday.

They also claim that an end of year bonus has not been paid.

"These Chinese have no respect for the people. They insult us, beat and send us away when they want and for no reason," Antonio Mavila, a worker who claims to have suffered repeated assault, said on Wednesday.

"We cannot continue to work without being paid and without being respected as human beings," another worker John Matusse told AFP news agency.

Their employer, the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), did not respond to requests for comment.