China's frustrated migrant workers rise up
BEIJING — Migrant worker Yue Yaowei has lived in Beijing for six years but is not recognised as a resident of the Chinese capital -- and so cannot get health insurance,…
BEIJING — Migrant worker Yue Yaowei has lived in Beijing for six years but is not recognised as a resident of the Chinese capital -- and so cannot get health insurance, buy a car or purchase a house."I am under big pressure here," Yue, 24, told AFP at a duck restaurant in central Beijing where he earns about $400 a month as the head waiter."I don't have much savings after buying clothes, gifts for my family and going out with friends."Yue is one of tens of millions of migrant workers around the country tied to a residency registration in their home town which largely prevents them from accessing a range of public services once they move to other cities.The so-called "hukou" system -- which the government has vowed to reform -- was introduced in the 1950s to curb potentially destabilising population flows from the countryside to the cities, in a nation recovering from civil war.It has fuelled resentment among migrants, as has widespread discrimination against the army of low-paid workers, sometimes spilling over into violent unrest.Unlike their parents, young migrant workers -- the second generation -- are more aware of their rights, and are increasingly frustrated with the treatment they receive in cities where they are often considered second-class citizens.Last month, three days of riots in the southern province of Guangdong broke out after rumours spread that police had beaten a street hawker to death and manhandled his pregnant wife.The protests in the manufacturing hub were the latest in a line of outbursts in the country, which analysts say highlight the frustration felt by migrants over what they see as unfair treatment and anger at the widening wealth gap."Very often these disputes that flare up are simply the result of long-simmering discontent," Geoffrey Crothall of the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, a workers' rights organisation, told AFP."There's a sense of social injustice that young migrant workers see every day and that is related to their personal and working conditions."While Yue
last modification 2011-07-03 23:30:15
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