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Last week Chinese workers came third place in Time Magazine's annual People of the Year awards, just behind runner up General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan and Man of the Year, US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for his work in stabilizing America's economy.
Chinese workers were picked for the contribution made by tens of millions of unheralded people in powering China as the world's fastest-growing economy. In today's Straight from the Street we asked people here if they think Chinese worker's deserve the award.
With their possessions in a canvas sac and children often left to be raised by their aging parents, more than 150 million Chinese workers trek long distances across the country in search of a job. Americans rely on these workers to make their cellphones, t-shirts and computers. The Chinese elite rely on them to build the high-rises they work in, serve their dinners or clean their floors. How do these migrant workers contribute to China's economy? What can be done to improve their lives?
Host Susan Osman is joined by:
John Gong
Associate Professor of Economics, University of International Business and Economics
Feng Naixiang
Associate Professor of Business, University of International Business and Economics
The issue of migrant workers is a pisive one in China's capital. Most Beijingers are well aware of the need for workers from the countryside to do the jobs that they are not willing to do.
Migrant workers are the force behind Beijing's rapid development over the last couple of decades. Nowhere was that more evident than in the run-up to the Olympics, when sporting venues and transport facilities sprang up at astonishing speed.
On the flip side, there is still widespread prejudiced against migrant workers. Many Beijing residents often see them as rude and uneducated, and perceive them as second class citizens.
That issue was brought to the fore once again by a new government policy aimed at giving the children of migrant workers access to compulsory education at public schools in Beijing. While the aim of the move is to give equal education opportunities to all, some in Beijing question whether it's practical to introduce a further burden into the city's already strained education system.
Working in the scorching summer heat can be tough, especially for outdoor workers, who are exposed to the summer sun for long time. Since 2009, the Chinese government has urged the employers to give workers high temperature subsidy. However, as BON’s George Liu had found, only a few employees are really paid of this extra amount of money in this summer.
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