30 Years Of Reform And Opening Up: "Migrant Workers" Become "New Citizens"

In China, which has the largest number of mobile labor forces in the world, the appellation of "migrant workers" is gradually being replaced by "new citizens".

Li Zhaojun, who has worked in Jiaxing, Zhejiang for three years, said goodbye to the "temporary residence permit" which has been in China for more than 20 years last year, instead of "residence permit" in.

This new certificate allows Li Zhaojun to enjoy free employment training, participate in social insurance as well as local residents, get free access to specific infectious diseases such as AIDS, and enjoy free family planning services at street and town family planning service stations.

These services did not exist in the original "temporary residence permit" era.

What makes Li Zhaojun happier is that his son can go to school free of charge in Jiaxing, like the local children, without having to go back to his native place and endure all the years of separation.

The "residence permit" instead of "temporary residence permit" is currently being promoted in some provinces such as Zhejiang and Guangdong.

Although there is only one word difference, the meaning for migrant workers is quite different. When the temporary residence permits are held, the workers can hardly enjoy public services, while the "residence permit" is like a green card, so that workers can enjoy various services in the employment area.

Due to the vigorous development of the manufacturing industry, the "artificial shortage" appeared in the developed coastal areas of China. The change of supply and demand has brought bargaining power to the "migrant workers", and the status of migrant workers has improved rapidly.

Huang Rongbao, a migrant worker in Hunan, Shaoxing, who worked for many years in Zhejiang, said, "finding a job is completely different now. Before the boss was choosy, it was different now. It's our turn to pick and choose. First ask the boss if there is a bathroom in the dormitory. If not, then you should turn your head away; if it does, then you should ask if there are fans. If you have good technology, even require the enterprise to install air-conditioning for your dormitory.

In the developed coastal areas of China, more and more migrant workers live in apartments.

Jiangsu Province, which has about 10000000 migrant workers, has built a number of "housing projects" for migrant workers to live in concentrated places in Suzhou and Wuxi, where migrant workers are concentrated.

More than 70% of Suzhou's migrant workers live in apartments sold by the government. Wuxi invested 1 billion yuan to build more than 5200 centralized residential areas for migrant workers (50%).

A survey of 3000 migrant workers in Jiangsu shows that 70% of migrant workers consider themselves entitled to "citizen treatment" and 75% of migrant workers are more satisfied with urban life.

According to the statistics of Shanghai Federation of trade unions, there are more than about 8000000 employees in Shanghai, of whom more than 4 million are migrant workers.

The Shanghai Federation of trade unions has accelerated the formation of trade unions for migrant workers since 2004.

Up to now, about 1000000 migrant workers have become union members, accounting for about 1/4 of migrant workers.

In China, many people used to call migrant workers "migrant workers" and "foreign girls" in the past. But now more people call migrant workers "new citizens of Hangzhou" and "new Shaoxing people".

At the same time, many of the former migrant workers became managers of enterprises, and they were also elected deputies to the National People's Congress and CPPCC members.

Li Shimei, 29 years old, is an ordinary employee of Wenzhou Kangnai group, a leading shoe enterprise in China. She is also a deputy to the Lucheng District of Wenzhou. This identity enables her to participate in politics and politics.

"I used to work in a very poor place. I made a proposal last year, asking the government to strengthen public order. I didn't expect the local government to react immediately. After a month, the police on patrol in the street can be seen at any time. I do not need to escort my husband after work. I do not think that migrant workers can have such strength."

Li Shimei said with a smile.

Yu Hai, a professor of sociology at Fudan University, said that from "migrant workers" to "new citizens", this is not just a change of title, but a change of social attitude.

The discrimination against migrant workers includes two aspects: system discrimination and social discrimination. Now there has been a change in the appellation. Migrant workers have been gradually excluded from the original and discriminated against, and now they are gradually recognized, accepted and integrated into the local society.