Beijing will abolish the Management Regulation on Migrant
Workers and Businesspeople in March, sources from the capital's
Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee said on Tuesday.
It had been introduced in July 1995 to regulate numbers coming
to Beijing to find jobs or conduct business.
Zhou Jidong, director of the municipal legal affairs office,
said the regulation goes against the spirit of equality.
"Most stipulations in the regulation will be abolished. But
those in line with national laws and regulations will continue to
be effective, such as the temporary residence certificate and
family planning," said Zhou.
Implementation of some stipulations has already ceased for not
complying with the Administrative Permit Law, which went into
effect last July to standardize the conduct of government
departments. Stipulations restricting migrant workers to certain
jobs and to collect service management fees have already been
abolished.
Zhou also said many problems are yet to be solved. The increase in
the migrant population will certainly put pressure on the
environment and resources and intensify water, gas, heating and
coal shortages.
Zhang Zhengyu, deputy chief of the employment department of the
Beijing Municipal Labor and
Social Security Bureau, said the government should change from
managing migrant workers to offering services to them.
Safeguards on the rights of migrant workers, mainly focusing on
salary payment, labor contract signing and social insurance
payment, will be strengthened this year, according to Zhang.
Beijing, as an open municipality, should treat residents and
migrant workers equally without contrived discrimination in
policies and regulations, said Zhou.
Zhang agreed, saying that after the regulation is abolished,
migrant workers and businesspeople can, like those with permanent
Beijing residence, choose any job without restrictions or extra
charges. They only have to sign a regular labor contract with the
companies they work for.
(China.org.cn by Yuan Fang, February 24, 2005)