BEIJING, March 28 -- Migrant workers' rights should be respected and safeguarded; and discriminatory regulations and systematic obstacles should be removed so that they are treated on par with their urban counterparts, China's cabinet declared yesterday.

    It is vital to recognize and resolve the problems faced by migrant labourers from rural areas as the farmers-turned-workers have become the main force in the processing, manufacturing, building, and mining industries, as well as home management and the catering sector, says a document released by the State Council.

    It called for increased efforts to ensure rural labourers in cities earn decent pay and that it is paid on time.

    "A wage payment supervision system and a wage deposit system should be established to solve the issues of defaulting on, and cutting, wages to migrant workers," says the document.

    Employers with records of defaults and major projects are obliged to open special wage deposit accounts as a precaution against defaults.

    The document decrees increased punishment for employers who default on wage payments, noting companies may be ordered to halt construction or have their business licences revoked in serious cases.

    Defaults on, and cuts in, wages to migrant rural labourers often spark mass protests; and the government is determined to address the issue to maintain social stability.

    The document lists the major plights of migrant workers: low and often-delayed payment, long working hours, poor workplace safety conditions, lack of social security, the risk of occupational diseases and industrial accidents and injuries, and difficulty in training, children's schooling and living conditions.

    Trade unions at all levels should play a better role in protecting the rights of migrant workers, the document says, and urges employers to ensure migrant workers' rights to join trade unions in accordance with the law.

    Trade unions should ensure employers fulfil their obligations; and focus on employment contracts, payment, working conditions, and industrial safety, it says.

    (Source: China Daily)