Chinese government and trade unions at all levels had helped workers recover more than 66.54 billion yuan ($9.7 billion)in wage arrears by the end of 2008, according to a report delivered Friday to China's top legislature.

The recovered wages, of which some were up to four years old, were paid to some 1.67 million workers, mostly migrant workers, said the report to the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC).

So far, 20 provinces and municipalities have applied higher minimum wages to workers in 2008 and the average rate of wage growth reached 15 percent.

According to the report, China now has 1.725 million trade unions at grassroots and the trade union's members had reached 212 million by the end of 2008, 46.9 percent and 41.3 percent up respectively from the year of 2005.