Some migrant workers worry they won’t get paid before Spring Festival

Global Business

Spring Festival is often the only time of year that migrant workers return home. But many are afraid leave their city of occupation because many companies default in paying earned wages. CCTV’s Liu Yang reported this story from southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

Some migrant workers worry they won\'t get paid before Spring Festival

Spring Festival is often the only time of year that migrant workers return home. But many are afraid leave their city of occupation because many companies default in paying earned wages. CCTV’s Liu Yang reported this story from southwest China's Sichuan Province.

With just ten days remaining until the start of Spring Festival, the train station is filled with people packed and ready to go home. For migrant worker Chen Wei and ten of his co-workers, the trip home will be sweeter as they have just won a long battle to receive unpaid salaries.

“The Company paid compensation for 10 of us, but delayed one month salary, not paying it to us for a long time, so we came to the labor security supervision for help,” migrant worker Chen Wei said.

Wei is lucky to have won his claim, but many migrant workers are less fortunate. Wage defaults are an annual phenomenon just before Chinese New Year.

Migrant workers are vulnerable as they lack legal knowledge, and often don’t sign labor contracts. Payment of migrant workers is also complicated.

Local authorities said that since 2012 they have launched a new policy to deal with disputes or defaults occurring in the construction industry that is handled by a construction bureau.

“There are 7-10 people handling migrant worker’s salaries before they actually get it. This irregular phenomenon has existed in the construction industry in China for a long time; and it has led to the wage defaults for migrant workers,” director of labor and social security Chen Jin said.