A number of central government departments, including those responsible for coal mine safety, civil affairs, human resources, and rural migrant workers, have responded recently to matters of public concern.
Inspection focuses on colliery risk management
China has launched a production safety inspection targeting all working coal mines and coal mining projects after several recent accidents, the National Coal Mine Safety Administration said on Nov 16.
The checks, running from Nov 6 until the end of next year, will focus on coal mining infrastructure, risk prevention management for major disasters, and emergency response and rescue capabilities, it said in a notice.
Before Spring Festival in February, the inspection will focus on companies and coal mines with major risks and poor management.
Safety inspections of closed coal mines should be organized in a timely manner before they resume production, it said.
Online platforms to help raise charity funds
China will designate a new batch of no more than 10 online platforms to promote programs and raise funds for charity organizations, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
In an effort to make better use of internet technology in philanthropy and support the wider release of fundraising information by charity organizations, the ministry will select influential platforms that enjoy credibility on the internet and in the charity sector, it said in a notice issued on Nov 16.
Qualified applicants able to run internet information services should submit their applications before Dec 10 and the list of designated platforms will be made public by the ministry after the applications are evaluated.
Xinhua News Agency said China has 7,169 registered charity organizations with 172 million volunteers across the country. Information on over 3.9 million volunteer projects has been made public and volunteers have rendered more than 2.19 billion hours of service.
Companies can carry out their own skill evaluations
Companies will be allowed to carry out their own evaluations of skilled workers and issue vocational credentials as the Chinese government deepens reforms to streamline administration and delegate more powers to employers.
The moves are part of the establishment of a market-oriented evaluation system for skilled workers, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said.
The ministry said in a notice issued on Nov 12 that efforts will also be made to connect vocational skill evaluations with professional title appraisals to develop talent in an integrated manner. By breaking down barriers related to issues such as educational backgrounds or qualifications, talented people will be able to get more development opportunities at work, it said.
Statistics from the ministry show there are about 170 million skilled workers in China, including electricians and nannies, making people's daily lives more convenient.
Nationwide campaign to address wage arrears
China has started a nationwide campaign to help address back pay issues for rural migrant workers as the peak season for claiming arrears, around Spring Festival, approaches.
The campaign started on Nov 6 and will last till Spring Festival in February, the State Council Leading Group Office of Eradicating Nonpayment of Wages to Rural Migrant Workers said in a notice issued on Nov 12.
Intensive inspections of the payment of wages to rural migrant workers will focus on the construction sector, labor-intensive manufacturing, and industries severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as the sectors tend to hire more rural migrant workers, it said.
Legal disputes concerning nonpayment of wages to rural migrant workers employed on projects launched this year with government investment, State-owned company investment, or a combination of government and social investment, should be settled by the end of this year, the notice said.
