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Zhou Chunxiu, a waitress at a restaurant in northern Beijing, is rather frustrated at the slow increase of her salary.

Zhou, a migrant worker from the rural area of east China's Jiangxi Province, earned less than 500 yuan (US$65) per month, a little up from the 400 yuan she made from her first job in the capital three years ago.

She has changed several restaurants in the three years to seek higher pay, but her efforts were in vain. "As the 'two sessions' are to kick off soon, could you ask for me when the pay of migrant workers like me will be increased."

The "two sessions" refer to the annual full sessions of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC) the Tenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's parliament and top advisory body.

"My salary is like being stuck where it was three years ago," Zhou said. "The situation is about the same with my country fellows who work as security guards or construction workers in the city."

Zhou said she also expects to be covered by the social insurance which her city peers enjoy and blends better into the city, shirking the widespread discrimination against migrant workers coming from rural areas.

"Lots of urban residents still see us as farmers, no matter how long we have stayed in the city. It's very much like we are born to be inferior," she said.

Deputies to the NPC and members of the CPPCC National Committee say Zhou's concerns and expectations are shared by the vast majority of the nation's 120 million migrant workers.

"As a matter of fact, the payment of migrant workers is growing too slowly," said Fang Tingyu, a member of the CPPCC National Committee. "The government has realized the problem and is working to improve it."

"Beijing has raised the salary of construction workers by 300 yuan before the Chinese Lunar New Year, which fell on Feb. 18 this year. It was just a start. The government should work harder to ensure equal pension, medical and worker injury insurance for all migrant workers," added Fang, a professor with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

NPC deputy Huang Taikang said migrant workers hope to be better recognized in the city apart from payrise and the coverage of social security. Huang, an official with Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party, added he would submit a motion on safeguarding the rights and interests of migrant workers.

"Discrimination against migrant workers is ubiquitous. They often get lower pay for the same work done by urban residents and have difficulty in sending their children to public schools in the city where they work," Huang said.

Fang said many NPC deputies and CPPCC members are pushing for the abolishment of the current household registration system, which is believed to be an obstacle to free population flow.

"Only by then can migrant workers get equal treatment with urban residents," Fang added.

The fifth sessions of the Tenth NPC and Tenth CPPCC National Committee, the most important annual political events in China, will convene in Beijing on March 5 and March 3, respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2007)