Migrant workers, who have been shortchanged in the past by companies that fail to pay their wages, will get more protection this year, thanks to a government initiative.

The change calls for three industries to join the construction industry in having to deposit money in bank accounts earmarked for the payment of migrant workers owed back-pay.

However, a lawyer has said more is needed to resolve the issue of back-pay owed the transitory workforce.

 

Construction companies have had to pay into special bank accounts for migrant workers' back-pay since May 2008.

The three industries that will soon have to do likewise are the transportation industry, the gardening sector and water conservancy.

Under the scheme, deposits, which will typically be more than 500,000 yuan, will be set aside to pay off salaries that have gone into arrears.

As many as 41,000 migrant workers received help from the Beijing human resources and social security bureau in 2009 after their 170 million yuan wage bill was not fully met by their employers.

"The arrears in wages are mainly in the construction industry," said an official with the Beijing municipal human resources and social security bureau, who declined to be named.

He said many companies in the three industries did similar work to the construction industry but were not officially part of that sector.

He said the three industries will be brought into the deposit system to make sure all migrant workers are paid on time.

However, many migrant workers have not yet heard about the change.

"I have no idea about the deposit idea and do not know how to apply for it," said Hu Tinghua, a 50-year-old migrant worker from Sichuan province who has been owed 30,000 yuan in arrears for two years.

"I am waiting for my salary to go home for Spring Festival," he said.

Hu worked as an electrician on a Beijing worksite for five months in 2008 but was not paid when the project finished.

Hu and 10 other workers sued the contractor in April 2008 but were unaware that they might be eligible for a payout from the company's bank deposit. Wang Fang, director of Zhicheng legal aid and research center for migrant workers, cautiously welcomed the expansion of the deposit system.

"It is certainly a good thing that deposits will be collected in more industries, but the most difficult part is how to give out the money," Wang said.

The payouts will need approval from three government departments and the procedures are complicated, he said.

Only cases affecting large numbers of migrant workers where lots of money is involved are likely to be resolved through the system, Wang said.

"The effects of the deposit idea are not clear and rarely can workers get their wages from the deposit," Wang added.

He said the initiative is only part of the solution. Improving the oversight of migrant workers' salaries was still the main thing needed.