Top procuratorate renews push to protect migrant workers' rights

The Supreme People's Procuratorate recently issued a notice aimed at ramping up efforts to address wage arrears, calling for severe punishment for malicious wage default crimes and enhanced protection of migrant workers and other vulnerable groups' legitimate rights.

The notice stipulates that procuratorial organs shall promptly launch case-filing supervision when criminal evidence related to wage arrears is found but not registered. Arrears recovery will be integrated into broader crackdown on such crimes, with the leniency system for pleading guilty and accepting punishment applied to urge suspects and defendants to proactively pay wages, ensuring that migrant workers receive their full, timely, and prioritized arrears payments.

Efforts will also be stepped up to supervise the enforcement of effective judgments in wage arrears cases, guaranteeing the rights of migrant workers who have won their lawsuits. The notice further expands procuratorial support for their wage claims.

Prosecutors are required to closely identify false wage claims in bankruptcy and execution proceedings, with stricter penalties recommended for false litigation. Priority will be given to industries prone to wage arrears, including engineering and construction, online food delivery, and environmental sanitation.

In addition, the notice strengthens supervision over the enforcement of salary-related administrative litigation and non-litigation execution, urging administrative authorities to better regulate migrant workers' wage guarantee payments.

Tackling wage arrears will be incorporated as a key area of procuratorial public interest litigation for labor rights protection. Procuratorial organs will guide enterprises and migrant workers to negotiate salary adjustments and payment cycles if both parties agree, resolving arrears properly.

A clear distinction must be made between malicious wage arrears and those caused by operational difficulties and other objective factors, balancing migrant workers' rights protection with enterprise development, it said.

Additionally, the notice mandates procuratorial organs to actively respond to public complaints, provide judicial assistance, and leverage big data to handle similar cases through individual case resolution, advancing systemic governance.