Sanitation workers deserve better pay

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-28 08:04

Treating sanitation workers with respect is an efficient way of keeping a place clean, says an article in the Beijing News. Excerpts:

To improve the environment of Zhidan county in Shaanxi province, county chief Qi Yujiang has been collecting trash everyday since taking office three years ago. Meanwhile, Baoting county, Hainan province, has rewarded its sanitation workers justly to improve its environment.

By practicing what he preaches, Qi Yujiang has made Zhidan a "national-level clean" county. Some media outlets have praised the spirit of the Zhidan county chief, while others have challenged the efficiency of his work.

To be fair, county leaders of Zhidan in Shaanxi province have worked their heart out to improve the environment. They have issued a series of documents, and even set up an environmental responsibility system that includes 24-hour cleaning.

But sanitation workers in Zhidan are paid only 500 yuan a month there. And none of the county's environmental policies have included improving the lot of its sanitation workers.

However, Hainan province's Baoting, also a "national-level clean" county, has improved its environment by giving fitting rewards to its sanitation workers. The average salary, as a cleaner said, has increased four-fold in the past decade. Besides, county leaders often visit sanitation workers' families to enquire about their needs.

Collecting trashes personally is not bad, but it would make more sense if leaders raised sanitation workers' wages, treated them respectfully, and elevated their social status to keep a place clean.

The Baoting story teaches us that taking good care of our sanitation workers may be better in cleaning the environment than setting rules and building models.

(China Daily 10/28/2009 page9)