Chinese courts initiate special winter action to tackle wage arrears

BEIJING -- China's top court has launched a three-month-long campaign nationwide to address cases of unpaid wages and safeguard the rights of migrant workers.

The campaign, which will run from November 2024 until the upcoming Spring Festival on Jan 29, 2025, aims to ensure the timely resolution of wage arrears cases and the proper distribution of funds resulting from court judgments before the traditional Chinese holiday season, said He Xiaorong, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, at a press conference on Monday.

Courts at all levels will prioritize sectors such as construction projects during the campaign, focusing on those initiated by governments and state-owned enterprises.

The courts will expedite criminal proceedings related to the refusal to pay labor remuneration and impose severe penalties on offenders, He noted.

During the first 11 months of this year, Chinese courts have processed about 82,000 cases involving the recovery of unpaid wages.

As of mid-December, about 69,000 cases involving migrant workers have been resolved, with a total amount of 1.72 billion yuan (about $239.32 million) successfully recovered.

The Spring Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday when hundreds of millions of Chinese people typically make their way back to their hometowns to celebrate lunar new year and reunite with their families.