Migrant workers in Shanghai will enjoy the same treatment as registered residents, the municipal government has announced.

Migrant workers would benefit from the local minimum wage system, which stipulated a minimum 750-yuan (US$ 95) monthly salary, said Jiao Yang, a government spokesman.

Shanghai's per capita monthly income in 2005 was 1,554 yuan (US$ 197), while that of half the migrant laborers was less than 800 yuan(US$ 101), with 19.67 percent below 500 yuan (US$ 63), according to a latest survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The municipality would order employers to ensure migrant workers were paid on time and had proper working conditions.

Migrant workers would also get free employment guidance from municipal job centers and receive vocational training before working in high risk industries.

A survey by the State Administration of Work Safety in nine provinces showed migrant workers made up 56 percent of the workers in mining, dangerous chemicals and fireworks. Many received little training before taking up high risk jobs.

The children of migrant workers in Shanghai would be guaranteed to enjoy the nine-year compulsory education, said Jiao.

The migrant workers have met barriers in education for their children although they made great contribution to China's economic boom since 1980s.

Migrant workers are mostly poor farmers who leave the countryside to find jobs in cities. There are 150 million migrant workers in China, 11.5 percent of the total population.

Shanghai is a major destination for Chinese migrant workers. There were 3.4 million migrant workers in Shanghai in 2005, according to the latest statistics.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2006)