Labour in Flux 农民工

Description:

More than a decade ago, after a severe flood in their hometown, three peasants from Anhui — Chen Da-Cheng, Zhang Xiu-Fang and Qiu Mao-Sheng — set off together to find work in the south. Chen Da-Cheng scraped a living by collecting waste and selling vegetables; Qiu ran street scams and was beaten up; Xiu-Fang left a sweatshop after being harassed by the boss. On the night of the millennium, the three met again and later took jobs at the same construction site. Before long, Chen and Qiu became contractors. When they led the migrant workers to demand their unpaid wages, the SARS outbreak happened to strike. In despair, they saw a news report about the premier helping migrant workers recover their debts, and decided to seek legal aid. Chen went out to look for evidence, while Qiu led the workers in a violent attempt to claim their wages and was taken away by the public security bureau. In the end, with help from the government of their hometown, the workers received part of their wages. Chen and Qiu founded an employment agency, and with the help of the leader of their hometown's local office, they were able to bid on a local urban redevelopment project. Eager for quick success, Qiu Mao-Sheng resorted to illegal means to swindle money, was reported and thrown into prison. In the end, Chen repaid the money for Qiu and, in the name of all three, donated funds to their hometown, seeing off the second generation of migrant workers as they headed to the city to find work.