When it costs more to claim wage arrears than the wage arrears are worth
In late 2003, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) revealed that the total unpaid wages owing to the nation’s migrant workers (that part of the agricultural population who find work in cities but are not registered as urban residents) had reached 100 billion Yuan.
On 23 May 2005, Beijing’s Legal Aid and Research Centre for Youth released a “Report on the Cost for Migrant Workers to Guard their Rights”. It said that according to ACFTU’s incomplete data, by mid November 2004, the overdue wages of all migrant workers in China had reached 100 billion Yuan. It also said that it would cost society at least 300 billion Yuan to ensure this 100 billion Yuan was repaid.
