10-20-06, 9:19 am
The sanitation workers of Chengguan District began their strike on Monday. Some of them have left the sanitation station and are looking for new jobs, the Western Economic Daily reported Wednesday.
Sanitation workers, who provide public service, are paid by the government.
The Lanzhou city labor bureau is investigating the case and has vowed to ensure that the sanitation workers will be paid on time and in full, a bureau official was quoted as saying.
A sanitation worker, who declined to give his name, said he had been paid 420 yuan a month since June, including 60 yuan of environmental protection bureau subsidies. But in October, he only received 360 yuan.
Actually, starting Aug. 25 this year, Gansu Province raised the minimum wage for employees to 430 yuan (53.75 U.S. dollars) per month from 360 yuan.
'We have been working hard since the new minimum wage standard was issued in August,' the sanitation worker said. 'We can not understand why we are paid less for doing more and more work.'
Sanitation workers in other districts of Lanzhou are also paid less than the minimum wage. Only those working in Xigu District are paid 430 yuan per month.
The central government has asked local governments to set the minimum wage in light of their financial situation. Beijing has raised the minimum wage to 640 yuan monthly from 580 yuan a month. Enditem
From Xinhua
