China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress (NPC), has received more than 190,000
suggestions since it released the draft of the labor contract law
to the public on March 21.
The suggestions focus on the widely existing problems of the
current labor contract system, such as unequal pay for equal work
and employers' reluctance to buy social insurance for
employees.
Workers submitted their problems to the legislature, hoping
their views could be fully considered in the legislative process of
the labor contract law.
Li Yuan, director of the Administrative Law Department under the
Legislative Affairs Committee of the NPC Standing Committee, said
since China's labor supply exceeded demand, employers, without
worries about a supply of labor, often sign short-term contracts,
which are always a few months long, with employees, so that some
employees, afraid of unemployment, dare not ask for reasonable
salaries and social insurance.
Therefore, some workers suggested the contract should be valid
for at least one or two years to better protect laborers'
interests. Some suggested increasing the cost for employers to sack
employees in a bid to avoid unfair dismissal.
On the question of "equal pay for equal work," some workers
wrote that many migrant laborers worked twice as long as urban
workers, but earned one fifth to one third amount of the salaries
of the urban workers and did not enjoy any social welfare.
Currently in China, a large number of employers avoid buying
pension, medical and unemployment insurance for employees. Some
laborers suggested setting up supervisory government
organizations.
China initiated the labor contract system in the early 1990's,
in which many workers ensure salaries and welfare through
contracts.
Previously, most Chinese workers enjoyed the "cradle to grave"
welfare system.
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2006)