Recently, an official report from the Chinese Communist Party revealed that China Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau, a state-owned enterprise, has repeatedly delayed paying wages to migrant workers. The number of workers affected by the delayed payments exceeded one hundred, with a total amount of 3.6 million yuan.
According to the announcement made by the Hubei Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security on October 12th, China Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau, a central state-owned enterprise, was reported twice within six months for delaying payment of wages to migrant workers at the same project in Xiangyang. The number of workers owed wages increased from 18 to 118, with a total amount of 3.6 million yuan. The company also failed to correct the issue within the specified deadline.
The details of wage arrears at China Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau in the “Gengdu Town” project in Xiangyang include owing 18 migrant workers a total of 398,500 yuan previously, and later delaying the payment of labor remuneration to 118 migrant workers totaling 3.2015 million yuan. The range and amount of wage arrears continue to expand.
The topic of “China Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau delaying wages for migrant workers” quickly trended on the hot search list on October 16. Netizens generally believe that enterprises, especially state-owned ones, should not withhold the hard-earned money of migrant workers.
A Weibo user named “YYX Axuan” pointed out that the construction industry often involves multiple layers of general contracting, subcontracting, and subcontractors. In many cases, delays in payment are caused by the delay in payment from the first-party engineering funds, leading to financial constraints for subcontractors and ultimately resulting in migrant workers not receiving their wages. However, according to the “Regulations on the Guarantee of Payment of Migrant Workers’ Wages,” the general contracting unit of the project bears the responsibility for ensuring wages and cannot use disputes over project funds as a reason for wage arrears.
Another Weibo user, “Great Tanchun,” who used to work at a former central state-owned enterprise construction unit, expressed that such incidents are not surprising to them because these issues have existed for many years.
Moreover, a user named “Cheese with Beauty” expressed disbelief that even a grand company like China Construction would delay wages. They questioned the whereabouts of the protection for farmers and wondered why wages are not paid on time. The user lamented that it is always the migrant workers who suffer, especially with the upcoming Chinese New Year where they need to support their families.
One Weibo user, “Ju Sheng Huainan U,” shared a personal account where their former colleague’s father, who was in the construction business, did work on a government building but was never paid, leading to the company going bankrupt. Despite years passing and the individual passing away, the family never received the owed money. The user highlighted the injustices faced by ordinary people in such situations where justice is never served.
Some netizens commented on the size of China Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau, with an annual operating scale exceeding one trillion yuan, implying that 3.2 million yuan is not an amount they cannot afford to pay but a matter of whether they are willing to do so seriously.
According to the official website of China Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau Limited Company, as a core member enterprise of the 16th World Top 500 “China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited,” the company is headquartered in the China State Construction Seventh Engineering Bureau Building in Zhengzhou Economic Development Zone. It ranks at the forefront of the construction industry in Henan Province, being the third among the top 100 companies in the province, with a registered capital of 9 billion yuan.