Guangdong specifies punishments for paycheck delays

GUANGZHOU - A court in South China's Guangdong province has issued a penalty standard for recruiters failing to provide paychecks on time, a move aimed at protecting the rights of migrant workers, who are often victims of delayed paychecks.

The standard applies to all 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong, but puts them under two categories according to their development levels. Class A cities refer to the six major cities on the Pearl River Delta, including the capital city Guangzhou, while less-developed cities fall into the Class B category, the Guangdong Higher People's Court said in a statement on Wednesday.

Employers in Class A cities will face jail terms should they delay paying 20,000 yuan ($3,257) or more for three months or more, or if their delayed paychecks amount to at least 100,000 yuan for at least 10 workers.

The standard is stricter in Class B cities, with recruiters facing sentences if they delay paying 10,000 yuan or more for three months or more, or if their delayed paychecks amount to at least 60,000 yuan for at least 10 workers.

Guangdong has seen a number of wage dispute incidents in the past few years, with 295 people sentenced in 277 such cases between 2012 and 2014.

Wang Zaikui, a judge with the court, told Xinhua that there was no unified standard against paycheck delays in Guangdong, making law implementation difficult.

"Guangdong has a large inflow of migrant workers and the new standard is quite necessary in settling their disputes," Wang said.

Wage disputes have not been confined to Guangdong.

In November at least 10 migrant workers threatened to jump from a building after failing to claim unpaid wages in Suzhou city in Anhui province.

A month later, a female migrant worker was allegedly beaten to death during a confrontation with police when chasing unpaid wages in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province.