Ten migrant workers were elected to the leadership of the
Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Friday, in a sign that the
organization is taking a serious approach to the needs of this
growing group.
The migrant workers have been elected to represent 100 million
of their peers at the 15th CYLC National Congress being held in
Beijing.
The CYLC is the largest youth organization in the world with
nearly 70 million members.
"I feel honored, because I am representing 100 million young
migrant workers at this meeting," said 24-year-old Nian Xuefei, one
of the migrant worker representatives.
"I hope that people will change their attitudes toward migrant
workers after the current CYLC Congress," said Nian, who works at
the Shijingshan District Branch of the Beijing Municipal Security
Service Corp.
With the rapid urbanization and industrialization of China, more
rural young people have flocked to cities to seek jobs.
They face many employment, business and educational problems.
This growing group of people also adds to the local authorities'
social security, sanitation and population management burdens.
CYLC Central Committee official Chu Feng said the organization
was capable of helping the government handle the affairs related to
migrant workers and helping them become members of the urban
community.
Chu said the CYLC had launched a series of programs since 1997
to improve young migrant workers' knowledge of policies and
regulations, working skills, safety at work, family planning and
sanitation.
More than 3,200 training schools had been established by the end
of 2002, training over 28 million migrant workers.
(China Daily July 26, 2003)