Mine safety, migrant workers' back pay under scrutiny

Companies can carry out their own skill evaluations

Companies will be allowed to carry out their own evaluations of skilled workers and issue vocational credentials as the Chinese government deepens reforms to streamline administration and delegate more powers to employers.

The moves are part of the establishment of a market-oriented evaluation system for skilled workers, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said.

The ministry said in a notice issued on Nov 12 that efforts will also be made to connect vocational skill evaluations with professional title appraisals to develop talent in an integrated manner. By breaking down barriers related to issues such as educational backgrounds or qualifications, talented people will be able to get more development opportunities at work, it said.

Statistics from the ministry show there are about 170 million skilled workers in China, including electricians and nannies, making people's daily lives more convenient.

Nationwide campaign to address wage arrears

China has started a nationwide campaign to help address back pay issues for rural migrant workers as the peak season for claiming arrears, around Spring Festival, approaches.

The campaign started on Nov 6 and will last till Spring Festival in February, the State Council Leading Group Office of Eradicating Nonpayment of Wages to Rural Migrant Workers said in a notice issued on Nov 12.

Intensive inspections of the payment of wages to rural migrant workers will focus on the construction sector, labor-intensive manufacturing and industries severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as the sectors tend to hire more rural migrant workers, it said.

Legal disputes concerning nonpayment of wages to rural migrant workers employed on projects launched this year with government investment, State-owned company investment or a combination of government and social investment, should be settled by the end of this year, the notice said.