The Chinese government will push reforms on pay and distribution
to make the society a "harmonious" one, according to government
sources.
The reform will be aimed at cutting down the income gap between
urbanites and villagers, between people living in different areas,
and between workers in different industries, the sources said.
According to the sources with the Ministry of Personnel,
Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Ministry of
Labor and Security, the reforms will also improve the socialist
market economy.
The reforms will increase the income of the low-income class,
increase the proportion of the middle-class, readjust the income of
the rich people, and prohibit people from making illegal earnings,
according to the officials.
The existing wage system for civil servants has lagged behind
the development of the socialist market economy, casting negative
impacts on the enthusiasm and stability of civil servants in the
country, the sources said.
According to official figures, 60 percent of Chinese civil
servants working in governments at county level and lower levels,
while 92 percent are low-rank government workers.
Under a new wage system, low-rank civil servants will have more
opportunities to receive larger salaries and receive more subsidies
if they work in remote and poverty-stricken areas.
The government will allocate more funds for retirement pensions
and grant more subsidies to low-income families and retired people
including revolutionary veterans, according to the officials.
The reforms are aimed at allowing all Chinese people to enjoy
the fruits of the reform, opening up and modernization drive, they
emphasized.
Living standards in China have improved alongside its fast
economic development over the past decades, but the income gaps
between urbanites and villagers as well people from different
regions and industries have continued to grow, according to the
officials.
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2006)