国内英语新闻:Xinjiang migrant workers work to pursue happy life, self development: report

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The outbound migrant workers in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are all voluntary and have vastly improved the quality of life and enjoyed more development opportunities, according to a report.

The report, titled "Investigation Report on the Situation of Xinjiang Outbound Young Migrant Workers of All Ethnic Groups," was based on a combination of field investigations, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews conducted by a research team of the Human Rights Institute of Southwest University of Political Science & Law.

The policy to alleviate poverty through employment has played an important role in eliminating poverty in Xinjiang, while outbound migrant workers enhance ethnic unity, the report said.

Xinjiang employees make a free choice of employment based on their situation, which is the optimal arrangement for their own development in the future, it added.

The monthly income and annual family income of those workers increased significantly after they went out to work.

About 84 percent of the workers earn 3,501 yuan to 5,000 yuan (about 525 to 750 U.S. dollars) a month, compared with 1,500 yuan a month for most of them before going out to work, said the report.

They enjoy equal pay for equal work with other workers in the factories and enjoy the same promotion opportunities as other workers in terms of career development, according to the report.

Regarding the satisfaction degree in terms of their current working environment, accommodation, and catering conditions after going out to work, 64 percent of Xinjiang employees said they are very satisfied, 33 percent said they are satisfied, and 3 percent said that the working environment is acceptable, the report said.

With sufficient laws and policies to protect the rights and interests of workers, China strictly forbids "forcing others to work."

The report said the "forced labor" claims in the West ignore the needs of the people in pursuit of a happy life and distort China's poverty reduction plans and employment promotion policies.