China's migrant workers caught in predicament
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The spate of suicides at Foxconn plants in Shenzhen reflects the no-man's land that the younger generation of migrant workers finds itself trapped in.
"Born in 1980s and 1990s, the younger generation of migrant workers grew up in a fast-expanding economy after China launched the reform and opening up policy. They are better educated than the first generation. Unlike their parents, they have neither land nor farming skills. Deeply influenced by urban culture, they dream of a life in the big city," Professor Lu Huiling of Peking University told China.org.cn.
Most of them migrate to cities directly after leaving school. For the most part they find physically demanding jobs that pay very little – just enough to make ends meet. But what is much worse, is that they cannot become full members of urban society because the cities refuse to accept them.
"First of all, there are housing problems. Cities do not provide spaces for migrant workers to live. They don't allow the existence of slums or run-down communities that could provide them with cheap accommodation. Those sorts of areas are targeted for urban development. Even more importantly, migrant workers do not get equal treatment when it comes to social security and medical care," Professor Guo Yuhua of Tsinghua University said. Having arrived in the city, young migrant workers soon realize that their dream of a new life is a chimera. But they neither want to, nor can they afford to return to their rural hometowns, for there is no future back home either. Caught in this dire predicament, many are prey to feelings of hopelessness so severe that they lead to suicide or violent rampages.
In 2009, it was estimated that China had around 230 million migrant workers. Most of them are under 30 years old. Their average monthly wage is 1417 yuan (US$207.5).
Without permanent residence permits for the cities they work in, migrant workers do not benefit from favorable policies applicable to urban residents, such as social security, medical care and cheap housing. Their children do not receive equal opportunities for education and are often forced to drop out of school early. Now is the time for China to solve the migrant worker issue, Professor Lu said. City governments should start to treat them as full urban dwellers, with the same rights and deserving of the same respect as others. Employers should offer decent salaries that allow workers to live with dignity. Above all, migrant workers need and deserve equal treatment in social security, medical care, housing and education.
Only in this way will migrant workers begin to treat the cities as their home. They will have the means and the incentives to set up families and build communities. A flourishing social life will help mitigate the anxiety and tension that accumulate at work. Only by enacting such social changes can we prevent workers from going to extremes in the future, Professor Lu said.
