Govt aid in migrant salary conflicts (3)

"The development commission doesn't accept personal appeals, and the HRSSB often turns down cases, saying there isn't enough evidence to file a case," said Wang.

Wang said the situation exists because construction projects are often subcontracted out at ever decreasing profit margins, so some subcontractors use the salaries as a way to bump up their profits.

"Often the whole process involves five or six companies. After each level of exploitation, the profit is compressed," he said.

A typical daily salary for a skilled migrant worker is 200-300 yuan ($48), said Wang, and an unskilled worker will earn 100-150 yuan per day. The companies will give workers around 500 yuan a month, and keep the rest until the end of the year, said Wang.

Guo Yi, working for On Action, a migrant worker organization, said it has had success negotiating for salaries directly with the employers.

"Most of the migrant workers we help didn't sign a labor contract. So we prefer to negotiate with the companies rather than seeking help from the government or courts," said Guo.