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Migrants' dorms to get major makeover

By Liu Yujie (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-01 08:28

3.5 million yuan to upgrade living conditions for construction crews

A special fund has been set up to upgrade the poor living conditions of migrant workers on construction sites across Chaoyang district.

Almost 3.5 million yuan has been made available to fit out dormitories with fresh bedding, drinking water supplies, showers and toilets, and catering services.

The project, which is supported by the district's housing and urban-rural development commission and 42 other public bodies, is part of wider efforts to set an accommodation standard and raise awareness of the plight of migrant laborers.

"I've never lived in a room of more than 10 square meters and shared it with fewer than five people," said Wang Guochun, 45, for Hebei province, who has worked in the capital for more than five years.

Chaoyang is the first district in Beijing to release a living standard for migrant workers. It states that a maximum of 15 can share a room, with each having at least 2 square meters of space. Windows are a must, while apartments should also be fitted with storage lockers and hot water.

Statistics provided by the housing commission show the district has the largest number of migrant construction workers in the city, ranging from about 70,000 to 120,000 in the peak months of August and September.

Of the 218 construction sites with living areas, roughly 100 have already received accommodation standard certificates from authorities since May 1. The rest is expected to make the grade before the end of the year.

"Migrant workers make a great contribution to the capital and they deserve dignity and better living conditions," said Lu Wenyu, deputy director of the housing commission, who added: "This latest project is not a one-time thing. We'll carry out re-examinations every two weeks on selected sites. If a site fails the random checks, it will lose its certificate and will be ordered to improve."

However, although the latest effort will boost standards of onsite dormitories, many more laborers still face being squeezed into small rental bungalows, apartments and basement rooms nearby their workplaces.

"I live together with seven or eight people in a 10-square-meter room, with three people sharing a double bed," said a construction worker on a school renovation site in Chaoyang's Huixinli community on Tuesday. "There are no cooking facilities, and one bathroom is shared between two rooms of about 20 people. We can hardly move."

He was just about to give METRO his name when his boss angrily intervened, telling reporters: "This is an urgent construction project. We have to complete the renovation within three months.

"I rented three apartments in an old community for the workers. It's already very difficult to find landlords who will accept construction workers at short notice. How can you expect more from the facilities?" argued the boss, who refused to give his name. He then scolded a security guard for letting "unauthorized" personnel onsite.

Lu added that there are currently no plans to deal with offsite accommodation due to problems with supervision and inspection.

China Daily

(China Daily 06/01/2011)