Unpaid wages remain a top concern among migrant workers as the
traditional Spring Festival holiday approaches, a survey
showed.
Delinquent back-pay, low wages and difficulties in sending their
children to school are key concerns among the millions of migrant
workers in the country, a survey released by the Ministry of Labor
and Social Security showed.
The survey, which started in the second half of last year
covered 2.84 million migrant workers at 19,000 companies in 40
cities nationwide.
Wage arrears remain a big headache for many migrant workers.
Each migrant worker claiming not to have been paid in time was
owed an average of 2,100 yuan (US$270), according to the results of
the survey.
They generally were owed back-pay by two companies.
The survey also found that most migrant workers were angry about
low wages. A migrant worker works an average of 8.7 hours a day for
a per capita monthly income of 1,020 yuan (US$131), the survey
showed.
More than 70 percent of those polled earned between 500 yuan and
1,200 yuan (US$64-154) per month. Skilled workers generally earn
more.
An unskilled worker generally earns about 970 yuan (US$125) per
month, while a technician earns more than 1,400 yuan (US$180). And
having to work overtime is common among migrant workers.
Nearly 8 percent of the respondents said they worked 11 hours or
more every day, and only 65 percent said they were paid extra for
extra work.
Inadequate training and the lack of social security were other
concerns among migrant workers, the survey found.
Nearly half of those polled said they had not received any
formal professional training.
(China Daily February 7, 2007)