Xinjiang workers enjoy full freedom and benefits working in Guangdong, academics find through 9-month-long field study

Workers' voice

Their research found that all the ethnic minority workers from Xinjiang working in the five companies being surveyed chose to work in Guangdong Province out of personal reasons. Among all those interviewed, 15 percent of them choosing to work outside Xinjiang were due to natural and social environment attractions, 36 percent were attracted by the high-incomes, 24 percent were introduced to their current jobs by family members or friends, 13 percent were attracted by educational resources, 8 percent wanted to gain language and vocational skills and 5 percent expected to broaden their horizons through taking available opportunities.

"According to the push and pull theory in demography, the reasons for migration and immigration are because people can improve their living conditions through migration. As a result, the factors that improve the living conditions in the inflow areas become the pulling force, while the unfavorable social and economic conditions in the outflow areas become the pushing force. These two forces act on the population migration together," read the report.

The more favorable social and economic conditions in some regions outside of Xinjiang became the pulling forces for these workers while the comparatively lower income and harsh natural environment became the pushing force.

"Guangdong is so clean that I have never stepped on a dirt road here. It is warm and wet all year round. I don't even need to rub oil on my face," said an interviewee hailing from Xinjiang's Hotan.

For these workers from Xinjiang, high incomes are the most important reason for their migration. The report surveyed 474 ethnic minority workers from Xinjiang in the five companies. These workers earned 49,500 to 71,500 yuan annually. In comparison, in 2019, the per capita disposable income of residents in Xinjiang was 23,103 yuan.

According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of the workers that came to the factories are family members or friends. Most workers' normal working hours are eight and some technical jobs have even shorter working hours. All the five companies being surveyed provide free accommodation for the workers with air conditioning and automatic washing machines. For couples, companies provide free rooms for them with no charge or 100 yuan a month. Some workers chose to rent homes near the factories, which cost about 300 to 400 yuan a month.

Considering the long commute, the five enterprises surveyed offer these ethnic minority workers a 30-day holiday every year to visit their families in Xinjiang and cover their travel costs. Four enterprises reimburse the sleeper train tickets and one enterprise reimburses air tickets.

The report concluded that there is no such thing as "re-education," "forced labor" or "surveillance" in any part of the process.

The in-depth investigations also found that it is their own voluntary choice of employment, and their labor rights have been fully guaranteed. These ethnic minority workers totally enjoy religious freedom, the right to use their native spoken and written language, and free choice of housing. Additionally, in order to take care of their diets and respect their religious beliefs, the companies have chefs from their ethnic groups and provide halal food options.