Authorities in Guangzhou are planning to set up more schools at construction sites to help migrant workers improve their knowledge of work safety practices and better protect their rights, an official said yesterday.

The city currently has more than 400,000 registered transient workers at about 2,000 construction sites, and 20 schools have already been set up since the plan was launched in April.

"Migrant workers, who have made a major contribution to the city's development, should improve their skills and learn more about how to protect their rights," Lei Fengying, deputy director of the Guangzhou construction commission, said.

Lei said all construction companies working on projects of up to 30 million yuan (US$4 million) have been asked to establish schools at each of their sites.

By the end of the year, there will be more than 800 schools across the city, Lei said.

"We also need to train people to teach at the schools," Lei said.

Some 800 teachers, from various government departments and local colleges, have already been trained, he said.

"The schools will provide migrant workers with vocational training plus education on work safety, healthcare and rights protection," Lei said.

Most migrant have not received a higher education and this can sometimes lead to them having problems at work, such as payment defaults, Lei said.

"Most of them have not signed contracts with construction companies, so they need to know more about how to protect their rights," Lei told China Daily.

Cui Daming, a migrant worker from Hunan Province, welcomes the move.

"It is a nice school for us. I had not realized the importance of signing a contract until I attended the class," Cui said.

Cui said he attends classes every two days after work.

(China Daily July 18, 2007)