Social security needs to be set up for migrant workers 
cctv.com 07-19-2005 13:13
One of the many challenges facing the Chinese Government in overseeing the transition from a planned to a market economy is the creation of a social security network that benefits everybody. In today's edition of our special labor report series, Mao Xuzhi takes a look at how the current system works for urban China's newest workforce -- migrant farmer workers.
With a pension contract in her hand, 20 years old Zhang Mei and her colleagues are discussing how the policy will benefit them. As young migrant farmer workers in the bustling city of Shanghai, they are concerned about any newly formed policy measures favorable to them.
Every month, these youngsters log onto the local government's web site to check their social security status. Just by typing their ID numbers, they know how much money they have in their accounts. Zhang Mei says she needs this kind of guarantee for her future.
The migrant worker Zhang Mei said, "Now I'm still young. But my health will definitely not be as good after I turn 50. My company helped us enroll in the social security program. It will more or less compensate us when we get older."
Zhang works for a computer manufacturer, and is among the 2 million migrant workers who benefit from Shanghai's social security program. Shanghai is currently one of the few cities in China that include migrant farmer workers in its social security network. A local official says although the system is far from perfect, the government is improving it as it gathers more experience.
Sheng Zuhuan, Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Labor & Social Security Bureau said, "Migrant workers have become a driving force in Shanghai's economic development. They contribute to the city's prosperity. There is no doubt that their social protection should be improved." The official says the network is eventually expected to cover all of Shanghai's 4 million migrant workers, who account for two fifths of the city's labor-force.
As more farmers choose to work in cities, there's a growing need among migrant farmer-workers for social welfare. But the fact is that among the 100 million or so migrant workers in China, only a small percentage are provided with social security. For the rest, the road to such social protection remains long and arduous."
In the past, Chinese farmers were all but confined to their land and granted little access to the social welfare system designed for urban dwellers. But even after the country's economic reforms made it possible for rural residents to work in cities, they were still unable to enjoy housing, medical and unemployment benefits, or even pensions.
Chinese scholars estimate that less than 10 percent of migrant workers now enjoy the same social benefits as their urban counterparts. These migrants scouring the newspapers for jobs told us they can do nothing to improve their status, and have to depend on the government.
A migrant worker said, "The government should adopt measures to make social security a compulsory policy." Many echo this view. Another migrant worker said, "It depends on the government. If social security is a compulsory policy, and the government strengthens its supervision, our rights can be guaranteed."
But the world's biggest developing country is undergoing great social changes, and a national social security network is unlikely to be set up overnight. Some experts have called for a gradual process.
Zhang Yi of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, "Personally, I think the government should solve migrant workers' injury insurance first, medical care second, and pension third. Or in other words, to solve their problems step by step according to what they need most."
Zhang Mei feels more at ease with her social security account set up. But for millions of other migrant farmer workers like her, they are still hoping for a better work environment for themselves, and for future generations.
Editor:Wang Source:CCTV.com
