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The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security’s latest assessment guidelines incorporate various measures aimed at resolving the issue of unpaid wages for migrant workers! Recently, a news item was published on the website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. An inter-ministerial meeting focused on addressing the issue of wage arrears in enterprises issued the \"Detailed Rules for the Assessment of Work Related to Ensuring the Payment of Migrant Workers’ Wages in 2018\" (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security Document No. [2018] 55). The introduction and implementation of these detailed rules are aimed at carrying out annual assessments of the efforts made by the people’s governments of various provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, to ensure the payment of migrant workers’ wages in 2018. After reviewing the provisions of the Assessment Rules, a total of 65 assessment indicators are listed. The Detailed Assessment Rules focus on strengthening assessment in three areas: first, ensuring that the competent authorities, particularly those in the construction industry, fulfill their responsibilities; second, intensifying credit penalties for companies that fail to pay wages on time; third, promoting the implementation of systems to ensure wage payments. Solving the issue of unpaid wages for migrant workers is now more guaranteed! I. Implement the responsibilities of the competent authorities, particularly those in charge of the engineering construction sector, to rectify the construction market. 1. Strengthen the supervision of funds for investment projects; allocate fiscal funds in a timely manner as required, thereby preventing wage arrears resulting from delays in project payments at the source. Personal understanding: The purpose of this provision is to address the issue of delayed payment for construction projects. In the past, funds for many invested construction projects were not disbursed to the contractors as scheduled, which forced these contractors to cover costs out of their own pockets and left them unable to pay workers’ salaries, resulting in wage arrears. 2. Implement regulatory responsibilities and investigate in accordance with the law any illegal acts such as unlawful contracting out, subcontracting, or illegal division of work. Personal understanding: This provision mainly stipulates that the industry authorities in the field of engineering construction must fulfill their responsibilities for industry supervision in order to regulate the market order in this sector. 3. Formulate specific implementation measures, such as a guarantee system for the construction unit to handle payment of project funds. Personal understanding: This provision mainly establishes a guarantee system for construction entities to make payments to construction companies regarding project costs. In the past, construction entities required construction companies to provide guarantees for contract fulfillment, but there were no clear rules regarding whether the construction entities would pay the amounts due on time; thus, it was unclear who would ensure that construction companies received their payments in a timely manner. Migrant workers’ wages are now better guaranteed; take a look at the latest assessment guidelines issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security – various measures are being taken. 4. Full implementation of settlement during the construction process. Personal understanding: This clause is intended to regulate the order of settlement and payment for project funds. 5. The approval of new project commencement by construction units that repeatedly delay the settlement of project payments or owe such payments shall not be granted. Personal understanding: This provision requires that the authorities responsible for approving **investment projects must carefully examine the funding plans; project proposals for which the necessary funds have not been secured shall not be approved. It also specifies that new projects initiated by construction companies (owners) with a history of poor performance shall not be approved. 6. For projects funded by **, it is strictly prohibited for construction companies to take on projects on a self-financed basis. Personal understanding: This provision addresses the issue of some **investment projects requiring construction companies to advance funds for construction, thereby preventing wage arrears and the resulting triangular debt situation caused by insufficient project funding. 7. Establish and maintain a ledger of outstanding payments and unpaid wages for **investment projects, updating it on a regular basis. Personal understanding: This provision primarily requires **timely and ongoing supervision of debts and unpaid wages related to construction projects. II. Strengthen the development of a system for ensuring integrity in wage payments, and intensify credit penalties against companies that fail to pay wages on time. Currently, joint penalties are imposed on illegal enterprises and individuals who default on workers’ wages; a “blacklist” system has been established, and various measures are taken through coordinated efforts by multiple departments to hold such dishonest enterprises or individuals accountable, forcing them to pay a heavy price for their actions. Various measures are as follows: 1. Restrict their participation in bidding activities for engineering construction projects ； 2. For a certain period, it is prohibited by law from participating as a supplier in **procurement activities ； 3. Restrict their access to **supply land in accordance with the law ； 4. Restrict, suspend, or revoke, in accordance with the law, the support provided to them by policy-related funds, **subsidy-based funds, and social security funds ； 5. Implement restrictive measures regarding applications for stock issuance, bond financing, bank credit, and foreign exchange quotas, designate them as entities under close supervision, and effectively increase the cost of their dishonest behavior. Migrant workers’ wages are now better protected; take a look at the latest assessment guidelines issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security – various measures are being taken in this regard. 3. Promote the implementation of a wage payment guarantee system: 1. The construction entity or the general contracting company is responsible for advancing migrant workers’ wages within the scope of unpaid project funds. Personal understanding: This provision sets out the responsibility for advancing payments owed to migrant workers’ wages. 2. The project owner or the general contracting enterprise shall bear the responsibility for settling wage arrears resulting from illegal subcontracting, subletting, or illegal division of work. 4. Strengthen labor management, and implement real-name system management in the field of project construction. Establish a real-name management platform for construction workers in the region, requiring data sharing with the national construction worker management service platform, and ensuring coverage of over 70% of ongoing construction projects. My personal understanding is that this regulation requires the implementation of a system for identifying construction workers by name, as well as the interconnection of relevant data. This not only safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of migrant workers but also prevents certain individuals in the construction industry from using the issue of unpaid wages as an excuse to create trouble in order to achieve their own goals. 5. Establish and implement a management system for special accounts for migrant workers’ wages, using these accounts to pay workers directly, with the requirement that such systems cover more than 80% of ongoing construction projects. With all these new measures in place, isn’t it more guaranteed for migrant workers to have their unpaid wages resolved?