Sichuan is one the largest exporters of migrant labour in China. In every major city around the country from Beijing to Guangzhou you will find people from Sichuan working on construction sites, in factories and offices, and cleaning the streets. The people of Sichuan are a major driving force behind China’s economic growth, yet all too often they have been overworked, underpaid and undervalued. They are discriminated against in their place of work, while their children and parents are left behind in substandard houses and schools.
When the earthquake struck on 12 May, many migrant workers had not seen their families for more than a year after winter storms and traffic chaos prevented them from returning home during the Lunar New Year Holiday. Thousands simply quit their jobs and got on the first train home. Many migrants have thankfully been reunited with their families; many others have returned home to tragic news, while others still have no news at all of their loved ones.
CLB greatly appreciates the tremendous efforts the Chinese government has made to rescue and care for the injured, shelter the homeless and feed the hungry. However, as Premier Wen Jiabao has made clear, the “arduous task” of reconstruction has only just begun. The vast resources donated from those at home and abroad to the relief operation have to be carefully managed and wisely allocated, and the government must assiduously guard against corruption and speculation. CLB urges the government to repay the people of Sichuan for all their efforts in building the new China by building them decent housing, schools and hospitals and providing employment opportunities closer to home, so that economic necessity no longer keeps families separated by thousands of kilometers for years on end.