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Law on migrant workers' interest
2005-07-22
China Daily
Vulnerable migrant workers should be protected by law so they no longer have to struggle to have their salary paid in full and on time, says an article in Oriental Morning Post. An excerpt follows:
Many readers have already become immune to the unending stream of media reports about the problem of migrant workers' wages being in arrears. But even the most passive audience could not help being startled by the news that more than 170 rural migrant workers in Zhengzhou, capital city of Central China's Henan Province, hosted a press conference defending their rights to receive defaulted salaries.
The news struck the public not only because of the migrant workers' woes, but also because of their desire to seek justice. Migrant workers have been forced to come up with plans to force employers to pay them what they are owed.
They used to move society with sad stories or threaten their bosses with violent kidnappings, but now are resorting to better measures - making public their plight.
But to report merely that farmers-turned-workers have grown more sophisticated to defend themselves is to underestimate the seriousness of the underlying problem.
No matter whether through press conferences or other means, these workers want to attract public attention through the media. The government's lack of protection of migrant workers' rights is a major cause of their desperation.
In addition, migrant workers need a spokesperson to fight for their interests. Theoretically speaking, the spokesperson should be the labour union, but it often does not perform its duty well by helping migrant workers recover defaulted salaries.
The absence of legislation on labour supervision and salary payment makes migrant workers' efforts to preserve their own rights too costly, and they are often pursued in vain. Therefore the pressing task is to complete relevant legislation.
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