Migrant workers, or off-farm workers, in China should enjoy paid annual family-visit vacations as their urban counterparts, a political advisor in Southwest China's Guizhou Province had said.

"Localities could legislate on the issue on a trail basis," said Yu Peixuan, a member of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made this proposal at the political advisory body's annual session held January 16-22.

If migrant workers took paid home leave every year, they would have more time to help their wives in rural homes do the heavy farm work and educate their children, said Yu. "Thus, family ties would be cemented."

Statistics show that 47 million women remain at home in rural China when adult males go off to cities to earn their livings.

These women played an important role in taking care of the elderly people and children in their rural homes, but they also face many practical difficulties, such as heavy farm work and dull daily life.

One of the major factors affecting these women's quality of life was the lack of communications with their husbands, said Yu.

Yu called on large enterprises to allow migrant workers to take paid home leave first to set an example for other enterprises.

According to the present Labour Law, regular workers at government organs, institutions and state-owned enterprises are eligible for paid vacations of one month per year to visit separated spouses in different cities or regions.