Before the traditional Chinese New Year arrives, incidents of migrant workers in various parts of the mainland jumping off buildings to demand unpaid wages have resurfaced. They climb to the tops of buildings and scaffolding, shouting “Give us back our hard-earned money” in scenes that are becoming increasingly common.
On January 10th, a video shared by a netizen named “Full of Silver Hair” from Guangdong showed that due to unfinished construction, migrant workers had not received wages for two years. Recently, four migrant workers put up a banner on a rooftop demanding their wages back, with one of them holding a loudspeaker and shouting phrases like “Give the blood and sweat money back to the migrant workers” and “We’ve been owed wages for two years.” Their voices were filled with despair and anger.
Videos circulating on social media showed that on January 4th, a group of workers in Zhaoqing, Guangdong even climbed onto the rooftop of the local Housing and Construction Bureau building, threatening to jump off to demand their wages.
On January 7th, workers at the Ideal City construction site in Yibin, Sichuan sat on the edge of windows in the chilling wind to demand their wages.
On January 8th, at least five workers in a location in Gansu gathered on a rooftop to threaten to jump off if their wages were not paid.
On January 9th, workers in Zhengzhou, Henan stood on the entrance awning of the Henan Provincial Highway Engineering Bureau Group office building to demand their wages.
On January 10th, workers at the Four Seasons Huachuan Hotel in Majiawan, Xi’an, Shaanxi, stood on the edge of the rooftop threatening to jump off to demand their wages.
In China, cities are filled with tall buildings, and every brick and tile is inseparable from the hard work of migrant workers. Many migrant workers, even over 60 years old, are still working on construction sites, hoping to earn more money to support their families.
However, demanding wages has become a routine sight for migrants around the time of the New Year. When migrant workers protest with banners to block companies and units owing wages, they are usually dispersed. So, they are forced to resort to extreme measures like threatening to jump off buildings to demand their wages. This not only easily attracts attention on social media but also requires police and relevant authorities to intervene for their safety.
In December 2023, media analysis showed that 99% of migrant workers on construction sites nationwide were not receiving their salaries on time, and even basic monthly living expenses of 1000 to 2000 yuan are delayed.
The repeated incidents of workers threatening to jump off buildings for unpaid wages reflect the difficulties in China’s deteriorating economy. With the collapse of the real estate market, local governments heavily indebted, wage arrears in the construction industry are becoming increasingly severe. As the bottom-tier laborers, migrant workers are often the direct victims.
In fact, not only migrant workers but also construction workers, bus drivers, hospital staff, and workers in various industries have cases of wage arrears.
Last December, a netizen posted on an official reporting board reflecting that a traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Jingchuan County, Gansu Province withheld performance pay for 15 months, with temporary staff receiving just over 1000 yuan per month, unable to afford basic living expenses. Local officials claimed this was due to insufficient financial aid and increasing hospital debts, calling the arrears “an act of helplessness.”
In early February 2024, Lu’nan Hospital in Shandong was exposed to owe eight months’ worth of wages totaling 45 million yuan, with the hospital director apologizing to the staff through a hunger strike.
Public hospitals in mainland China are facing increasingly severe losses. Official data shows that in 2020, out of 2508 tertiary public hospitals nationwide, 43.5% were operating at a deficit, with an asset-liability ratio of 44.09%. After three years of turmoil from the pandemic, local finances have seriously deteriorated, leading to widespread cases of salary cuts and wage arrears in public hospitals heavily reliant on government subsidies.
According to a recent report from the Supreme People’s Court of the Communist Party of China, from January to November 2024, about 1,000 criminal cases refusing to pay labor remuneration and approximately 82,000 civil cases seeking labor remuneration disputes were handled in first instance courts across the country.