China's Ministry of Justice helps tackle unpaid wages of migrant workers

BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Justice has advanced public legal services to help address unpaid wages of rural migrant workers as the peak season for claiming arrears, which is around the Spring Festival, approaches.

The ministry and other institutions have initiated a legal assistance campaign, sending lawyers, grassroots-level legal workers and legal assistance volunteers to factories and communities to provide legal counseling services to migrant workers, according to a press conference Thursday.

Migrant workers can seek help via a hotline or at public legal service centers that have green channels for claiming arrears.

As of Dec. 31, 2019, a legal service website launched by the ministry in May has helped migrant workers claim more than 27 million yuan (3.88 million U.S. dollars) in unpaid wages.

In the first half of this year, tens of millions of yuan in wage arrears have been returned to migrant workers through the help of the ministry, according to the press conference.