China aims to ensure 'equal pay for same job'

BEIJING ?-- China aims to ensure workers hired through labor contracting agents get the same treatment as directly recruited employees, according to a draft bill considered by lawmakers Monday.

The draft amendment to the Labor Contract Law is undergoing a second reading at a five-day bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, or the legislature, which opened Monday.

Originally submitted to a June session of the legislature for deliberations for the first time, the draft is designed to prevent employee leasing from being abused by employers trying to save on costs.

The draft amendment says enterprises in China should mainly employ workers directly, instead of through labor contractors.

"Hiring via labor contracting agents should only be arranged for temporary, supplementary or backup jobs," reads the draft.

Temporary jobs refer to those positions lasting no more than six months, while backup ones mean those that can be taken over for a period of time when original workers are on a leave for study or other purposes.

The draft stipulates employers should keep the number of workers they hire through labor contractors within a limit, which is to be set by labor administration authorities.

By amending the current Labor Contract Law, adopted in 2007, the move targets a common yet unfair reality: many Chinese people, who are actual long-term workers at an organization, are paid much less because they are categorized as "leased employees."

In China, some organizations hire a number of employees via labor leasing agents, but do not sign work contracts with these workers or give them fair pay and welfare, even though they have been working with them for years.