More than 2 billion yuan (US$250 million) has been raised by
trade unions to help migrant workers during
Spring Festival and top unionists hope such assistance will be
made available all year round.
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) aims this year
to recruit a further 6 million migrant workers, who are frequently
sidelined in favor of counterparts with permanent urban
residence.
"We should not pay lip service to better safeguarding their
rights, and also we should not protect them only in the festival
seasons," Liu Haihua, ACFTU deputy director in charge of labor
security, said at a press conference yesterday in Beijing.
During Spring Festival that started on January 29, trade unions
at various levels clubbed together to help workers, especially
those who have been laid-off, were in financial difficulties or had
trouble securing a ticket home for the traditional family
reunion.
Liu said China's trade unions should play a more active role in
protecting the legal rights of migrant workers, particularly as
many are paid late and are not covered by any form of
insurance.
A report from the UN released in last December dubbed China's
140 million migrant workers a "disadvantaged social group," as
their rights are often infringed upon in cities. Employers have
been known to ignore concerns about the health and safety of
migrant workers.
Farmers-turned-workers account for more than half of the manual
and service industry labor force in China. Only 13.8 percent of
them are members of trade unions.
(China Daily February 11, 2006)