Ensuring equal rights of rural migrant workers to social security
The seminar aims to examine the difficulties facing rural migrant workers in accessing and maintaining social security entitlements and to support trade union policy proposals and strategies in response.
The ILO and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) held a two-day Seminar on Equal Rights to Social Insurance for Rural Migrant Workers to examine the difficulties facing rural migrant workers in accessing and maintaining social security entitlements and to support trade union policy proposals and strategies in response.
Zhang Bo, Director-General of Social Protection Department of ACFTU, underlined the importance of enhancing social security for rural migrant workers in the overall work of ACFTU. Due to the past separation of household registration between urban and rural residents, migrant workers still do not have equal access to the basic public services provided to urban residents and face major difficulties in accessing social insurance and maintaining the benefits. Today, as the first generation of migrant workers is retiring, securing their entitlements and benefits is gaining urgency. The new generation of migrant workers, being the majority in rural-urban migration, are more aware of their rights, but not motivated to join social insurance due to fragmentation of the social security system, non-portability of rights, low wages and reluctance of employers in the private sector to make the necessary contributions. Trade unions must spare no efforts to drive the improvement of social security laws and regulations, monitor the compliance, voice the concerns, and protect the social security rights of migrant workers.
Tim De Meyer, Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, pointed out the need that the next phase of social security reform in China must zoom in on rural migrant workers. Social security is a human right for migrant workers and resident workers alike. To drive the much more diversified economy in future, the social security of rural migrant workers will need further improvements. Lack of equal rights to social insurance fuels inequality, compromises social harmony, denies employers a level playing field regarding labour cost, hampers demand for a new generation of goods and services, and undermines the next generation of workers’ willingness and ability to invest in the skills the economy of the New Normal will need. Social security rights must not only be declared, but made accessible in practice for rural migrant workers based on key principles: non-discrimination; maintenance of rights acquired; and maintenance of rights in the course of acquisition. Hukou reform needs to be sustained to equalize entitlements for local urban and migrant populations in equally accessing social assistance, employment service and training. ILO Conventions call on trade unions to play an important role in administering social security; raising awareness among workers of their entitlements; leveraging local authorities to make social insurance benefits more accessible for rural migrant workers; effectively addressing social security issues in collective bargaining, and monitoring compliance with collective agreements and relevant regulations.
In this workshop, around 40 participants including union representatives, government officials and ILO specialists actively discussed the practical difficulties facing migrant workers in equally accessing and benefiting social security entitlements. The participants emphasized the urgent need to strengthen social security for rural migrant workers and change the situation through union actions.
Zhang Bo, Director-General of Social Protection Department of ACFTU, underlined the importance of enhancing social security for rural migrant workers in the overall work of ACFTU. Due to the past separation of household registration between urban and rural residents, migrant workers still do not have equal access to the basic public services provided to urban residents and face major difficulties in accessing social insurance and maintaining the benefits. Today, as the first generation of migrant workers is retiring, securing their entitlements and benefits is gaining urgency. The new generation of migrant workers, being the majority in rural-urban migration, are more aware of their rights, but not motivated to join social insurance due to fragmentation of the social security system, non-portability of rights, low wages and reluctance of employers in the private sector to make the necessary contributions. Trade unions must spare no efforts to drive the improvement of social security laws and regulations, monitor the compliance, voice the concerns, and protect the social security rights of migrant workers.
Tim De Meyer, Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, pointed out the need that the next phase of social security reform in China must zoom in on rural migrant workers. Social security is a human right for migrant workers and resident workers alike. To drive the much more diversified economy in future, the social security of rural migrant workers will need further improvements. Lack of equal rights to social insurance fuels inequality, compromises social harmony, denies employers a level playing field regarding labour cost, hampers demand for a new generation of goods and services, and undermines the next generation of workers’ willingness and ability to invest in the skills the economy of the New Normal will need. Social security rights must not only be declared, but made accessible in practice for rural migrant workers based on key principles: non-discrimination; maintenance of rights acquired; and maintenance of rights in the course of acquisition. Hukou reform needs to be sustained to equalize entitlements for local urban and migrant populations in equally accessing social assistance, employment service and training. ILO Conventions call on trade unions to play an important role in administering social security; raising awareness among workers of their entitlements; leveraging local authorities to make social insurance benefits more accessible for rural migrant workers; effectively addressing social security issues in collective bargaining, and monitoring compliance with collective agreements and relevant regulations.
In this workshop, around 40 participants including union representatives, government officials and ILO specialists actively discussed the practical difficulties facing migrant workers in equally accessing and benefiting social security entitlements. The participants emphasized the urgent need to strengthen social security for rural migrant workers and change the situation through union actions.