Six migrant workers will attend the 11th People's Congress of Guangdong Province in January of next year as
delegates, the first time this demographic will have direct
representation in the provincial legislature.
The move came in March after the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, adopted a
resolution providing for rural migrant worker representatives in
the national parliament for next year's session. This was viewed as
a major step for the country's political reform.
Two of the six Guangdong delegates will be elected from
Guangzhou, two from Shenzhen, one from Foshan and one from Dongguan
by next Tuesday, said an official of the Standing Committee of the
Guangdong Provincial People's Congress.
Guangdong has more than 23 million migrant farm workers, greater
than any other Chinese province.
"Farm workers turned legislators will help solve our
difficulties in medical services and education," said Zhang
Hongbing, a farmer who has worked in Guangzhou for years. "I hope
children of migrant workers will have better education in the
future."
China has more than 120 million migrant workers, most of whom
are farmers from poor rural areas. They travel to the cities to
work in construction, mining, cleaning, and catering
industries.
Discrimination and prejudice against migrant workers?are
still common among urban Chinese, and news organizations have
frequently reported infringements on their rights, such as unpaid
wages.
(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2007)