From the Readers

Migrant workers deserve more

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-05 07:48

Comments on "Collective contracts sought" (China Daily, July 9)

It is heartening to see the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) float ideas of collective contracts, though it may be difficult to implement them across the vast expanse of the country.

A wave of labor unrests have been reported from across China recently. Workers have become more vocal and organized in protecting their legal rights and interests.

China's economy is still growing at a fast pace, and farmers-turned-workers have played a crucial role in this process. But their contribution has not been rewarded and compensated fairly. These workers set out from their countryside homes to earn more money in cities, but most of them still live on the margins of urban areas.

The low-end manufacturing base can no longer be sustained by paying workers extraordinary low wages. The government has realized that, too, and taken steps to change the situation, because it wants the country to graduate from a low-end assembly workshop to a hi-tech provider and grant workers better pay so that the become real consumers.

The role of the trade unions thus should be strengthened, and they should be allowed to function more freely. If this is done, the workers will get a stronger channel to get their grievances redressed and rights protected. More labor rights regulations have to be passed and laws implemented more strictly to better safeguard workers' interests.

Collective contracts or collective bargaining are good ideas. But they are easier said than done.

Chen Xiaguang, via e-mail

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(China Daily 08/05/2010 page9)