Migrant workers' rights should be respected and safeguarded; and
discriminatory regulations and systematic obstacles should be
removed so that they are treated on par with their urban
counterparts, China's State Council declared in a document
yesterday.
It is vital to recognize and resolve the problems faced by
migrant laborers from rural areas as farmers-turned-workers have
become the main labor resource in the processing, manufacturing,
building, and mining industries, as well as home management and the
catering sector.
It called for increased efforts to ensure rural laborers in
cities earn a decent wage that is paid on time.
"A wage payment supervision system and a wage deposit system
should be established to solve the issues of default and
underpayment."
Major project developers and employers who have a history of
defaulting on payments are obliged to open special deposit accounts
for employees.
The document decrees increased punishment for employers who
default on wage payments, noting companies could be ordered to halt
construction or have their business licenses revoked in more
serious cases.
Wage disputes are the main cause of mass protests by migrant
rural laborers, and the government is determined to address the
issue to maintain social stability.
The document lists the major plights of migrant workers
including: low and often-delayed payment, long working hours, poor
workplace safety conditions, lack of social security, the risk of
occupational diseases and industrial accidents and injuries, lack
of training opportunities and resources, lack of provision for
children's education, and poor living conditions.
Trade unions at all levels should play a bigger role in
protecting the rights of migrant workers, the document says, and
urges employers to allow workers to join trade unions in accordance
with the law.
Trade unions should ensure employers fulfill their obligations;
and focus on employment contracts, payment, working conditions, and
industrial safety.
(China Daily March 28, 2006)
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