Beijing ( CNN ) -- An American businessman who said he was held hostage by dozens of his Chinese employees was released Thursday after six days . Chip Starnes , co-founder and president of Specialty Medical Supplies China , had been trapped in the company 's suburban Beijing factory since Friday . Starnes reached an agreement with the workers after a pay dispute . Officials said 97 employees signed a new compensation agreement . On Tuesday , Starnes told CNN 's David McKenzie from behind the factory 's gates that he was being held hostage . `` I tried to leave a day and a half ago , and there was like 60 or 70 of them here inside every entrance , and every exit was barricaded , '' Starnes said . `` I ca n't go anywhere . '' He said workers had hindered his sleep by banging on doors and windows , but said they had not inflicted any physical harm . The dispute . The incident started when the company laid off about 30 workers in its injection molding division . He said he transferred workers to another division , but some workers did not want to move . So the company gave them severance packages . Starnes said the problem arose when workers who already moved to another division also wanted severance packages . But workers who spoke to CNN from behind the factory gates gave an entirely different account . Some said they 're owed two months ' worth of back pay and feared everyone at the plant would be laid off , as they claimed no new materials had entered the factory . Starnes disputed that , saying there are no outstanding balances and that the workers had heard bad information . CNN 's CY Xu reported from Beijing ; Holly Yan wrote from Atlanta . Journalist Connie Young contributed to this report .
Chip Starnes was held in a Beijing-area factory for six days over a pay dispute . The ordeal was resolved , and 97 employees signed a new compensation agreement . Some workers said they were owed two months ' worth of back pay . Comment: