By love-89.com On October 24, a press conference for the 29th Sanitation Workers’ Day was held in Shaoyang, Hunan Province, highlighting the achievements in the sanitation sector and extending holiday greetings to the hard-working sanitation workers. With nearly 130,000 sanitation workers in Hunan, their welfare benefits have been steadily improving, with wages now reaching 110% to 150% of the minimum wage.
Sanitation workers, often considered the “beauticians” of cities, play a crucial role in maintaining urban cleanliness and safety. In recent years, Hunan has focused on a top-level design approach, advancing institutional reform within the sanitation industry. The province has been striving to establish an efficient management and operational mechanism that aligns with modern urban management systems, gradually creating a comprehensive sanitation operation framework.
Recognized as the frontline workforce, sanitation workers have seen improvements in their working conditions and rights protection. Hunan has implemented measures to enhance their work environment, secure welfare benefits, strengthen labor protection, and promote community support, thus creating a multi-faceted protection system for these essential workers. The provincial government is dedicated to safeguarding the legitimate rights of sanitation workers and fostering a harmonious social environment.
Hunan has also made significant strides in enhancing wage structures for sanitation employees. A mechanism for wage growth has been put in place, ensuring the proper implementation of allowances, subsidies, and overtime pay. Cities like Yueyang, Xiangtan, and Huaihua have introduced sanitation allowances ranging from 10 to 15 yuan per day, while cities such as Changsha and Zhuzhou have initiated policies providing affordable rental housing for sanitation workers. Additionally, the province has explored new roles for sanitation employees in overseeing waste sorting and managing bicycle parking, further boosting their welfare and labor conditions.
Professional skills competitions are regularly organized in Hunan to promote specialization within the sanitation sector, expanding participation from street cleaners to waste management professionals. Since 2019, the province has successfully held six provincial skill competitions in the sanitation industry, with over 2,000 sanitation workers having participated. This initiative has led to several workers being recognized with awards for their exceptional contributions.
To enhance the well-being of sanitation workers, cities like Changsha, Zhuzhou, and Hengyang have established mechanisms for special assistance and set up care stations providing rest areas, breakfasts, and free health check-ups for these workers. Celebratory activities and recognition programs have been organized to create a supportive and respectful atmosphere for sanitation workers across the community.
Moreover, Hunan is actively promoting the marketization of sanitation services to improve public service levels. The mechanization rate for urban road cleaning has surpassed 85%, establishing a systematic approach to cleanliness in rural areas with a comprehensive waste collection and treatment scheme. Currently, 103 out of 122 districts and counties in Hunan have adopted market-oriented sanitation services, achieving an 84.4% marketization rate with a service scale of approximately 4.936 billion yuan, of which 2.573 billion yuan, or 72.4%, is market-driven.
Since 2017, Hunan has made significant efforts in waste sorting legislation, enhancing its policy framework and operational mechanisms while boosting public awareness and facility construction. Local governments are increasingly implementing strategies to minimize waste bin usage and promote scheduled waste disposal and oversight. As of now, waste sorting facilities have been established in around 15,080 residential communities in major cities, achieving a coverage rate of 95.5%, surpassing the national average by three percentage points.