Economy

Markets

Industries

Insights

Reports

Events

Xinjiang migrant workers arrive at coastal factories

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-08 10:15

The first batch of migrant workers departing China's western Xinjiang autonomous region since the July 5 riot in Urumqi arrived at factories in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

The 189 female workers, all Uygurs from Jiashi County, Kashgar, left Urumqi on Wednesday night on a two-day train trip to work for two textile companies in Shaoxing city, Zhejiang, and a bag company in the eastern Shandong province.

All the 99 young women arrived at Shaoxing Friday evening for dreams. Kabanisha is no exception.

"I come with three wishes. One is to earn 1,000 yuan ($146) per month; second is to learn Mandarin and third is to widen my horizon," said the 18-year old.

The workers, the 23rd batch from Jiashi this year, have received preliminary work and language training in their hometown.

Related readings:  Migrant workers offered free health exams in Guangzhou  China mulls urbanization of 140m migrant workers  A new generation of migrant workers  China trains more than 12m construction migrant workers

Zhou Guoquan, chairman of Shengda Textile Company, said they employed more than 150 workers last year and further 40 this year. Shengda is one of the employer.

Some of the skilled workers can earn between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan per month.

The company has arranged air-condition rooms and Xinjiang-style food for the new workers.

Reziwanguli, who has worked in Shaoxing for some time, said: "I often cried when I just came here because I missed home. But I have accustomed to the life here and fallen in love with the city."

About 19,000 migrants from Jiashi have sought work in other parts of China since 2006, for average net income of more than 7,000 yuan ($1,025) a year.

Adil Abdureshit, a senior county official, said work in the eastern regions helped the migrants earn more and many even returned to open their own businesses and helped attract investment.

On June 26, a massive brawl in a toy factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, left two Uygur migrant workers dead and more than 100 injured.

Police said Wednesday they had arrested a man who allegedly spread rumors by exaggerating the death toll of the brawl that were later used by the World Uygur Congress (WUC) to trigger the Urumqi riot.

The violence in Urumqi left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured.