Migrant Workers Struggle During Chinese New Year to Collect Unpaid Wages

Migrant workers standing near signs advertising their skills as they wait by a street to be hired in Shenyang, in northeastern China's Liaoning Province on Feb. 6, 2023. STR/AFP via Getty Images

As the Lunar New Year approaches, there’s typically a surge in cases of migrant workers demanding unpaid wages in China. However, with the economy facing a downturn and authorities pushing the narrative of a bright economic future, this year the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials are actively suppressing reports of wage disputes.

Zhang Dong (pseudonym), a migrant worker, said to the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times, “In the construction sector, many workers haven’t received anything for a couple of years.”