The cheap toil of 30,000 construction labourers is being used to build dozens of stadiums and other venues on time
BEIJING — As he hauls heavy bags of sand to the perfectly groomed grounds of Beijing's new beach-volleyball stadium, Wang Hongjian knows he will never have a chance to see the bikini-clad athletes who will play here during the Olympics next summer.
Beads of sweat are dripping from his forehead as he toils under the blazing sun of the Beijing summer. He works for 10 hours a day, seven days a week, earning a meagre salary of $120 a month.
The 53-year-old migrant worker from Henan province is housed in a crowded dormitory, 15 workers in each room, without air conditioning or even a fan.
By mid-day, the suffocating heat can climb to 40 degrees. If he gets thirsty while he works, he has to pay for his own bottles of water.
Asked whether he might be able to afford a ticket for any of the Olympic events, he shakes his head sadly. Tickets for some events will be as cheap as $10 or $15. But for the thousands of construction workers whose sweat and muscle are building the Beijing Olympics, a ticket to the Olympics is a dream beyond reach.
"We can't afford it," Mr. Wang says. "Just to travel from our hometown to Beijing would cost more than 100 yuan ($14 Canadian). It's too expensive for us."
About 30,000 construction workers, mostly migrants from villages and rural regions, are building the dozens of stadiums and other venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Their cheap labour is one of the main reasons for China's rapid readiness for the Olympics. Almost all of the venues will be built and tested by the end of this year, more than seven months ahead of the opening ceremonies.
For most of the construction workers, the Olympic projects are just another job. Most of them earn only $4 a day. They often work from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., then from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 or 7 p.m. Most are required to pay for their own meals, which consume as much as a third of their income. Almost all of them lack any health insurance or insurance against injuries or death, even though China has the highest rate of fatal occupational accidents in the world.
In one of the few concessions to the stifling summer heat, some Olympic workers are given daily rations of green-bean soup, which is traditionally believed in Chinese herbal medicine to have cooling properties.
Some workers are paid monthly, but many will have to wait until the end of the year. In a few cases, local subcontractors have failed to pay anything at all, skipping out on their obligations with the knowledge the workers are powerless to do anything about it.
Wang Yuelou, a 40-year-old migrant worker from Hebei province, has been working as an electrician at the new Olympic badminton gym. His employer has promised to pay him at the end of the year. In the meantime, he can apply for 200 yuan (about $24) in "pocket money" from his employer every month, but he says it is not enough for his daily expenses.
Even his year-end-salary payment is not guaranteed. He's had some employers in the past who cheated him, refusing to pay his full wages on the pretext that the construction project was not as profitable as expected.
"We do have a contract with our boss, but it's just for him to show the labour inspectors," Mr. Wang said. "We don't even see the contract. It's in the hands of our boss."
Migrant workers are routinely exploited by employers who delay their wages or refuse to pay them. As of last year, Chinese migrants were owed more than $14-billion in unpaid wages by their employers, according to official numbers. Surveys have suggested about a quarter of the 200 million migrant workers in China are owed back wages, including about 800,000 migrants in Beijing.
Mr. Wang said he would love to see the Olympics, but he knows it isn't likely. He hopes, instead, for a piece of paper from the government to document his role in constructing an Olympic site. "Being a migrant worker is a very tough job," he says.
A propaganda banner at the construction site makes his obligations clear. "Abide by the regulations and construct a harmonious society," the banner tells the migrant workers. "Establish a masterpiece and dedicate yourself to the Olympics."
At the new Olympic velodrome in Beijing, two migrants named Hou and Wang are building the cement stairs for the parking lot. They are under the impression migrants will be prevented from entering Beijing during the Olympics next year, something Beijing has denied.
Told they are legally allowed to buy tickets for the Olympics, they just laugh and shake their heads at the cost of it.
via: theglobeandmail.com
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