Four sites in Fujian-China blocked by workers for their salaries.

Wage collection by construction site workers is usually concentrated before spring, but this year ' s labour protests have been pre-eating. The China Objection Monitor, released by American Freedom House in November, showed that 948 protests were recorded in China in the third quarter of 2026, with 44 per cent of the protests initiated by workers; Of these, 52.8 per cent were in construction sites. The cumulative 85 protests recorded during the first three quarters of the construction group-related projects in China were followed by renewed attention to the issue of salary payments for State-owned construction enterprises.

One of them happened in Fujian. In September, a residential site constructed by China's four-provincial authorities, many workers wearing a safety cap blocked at the construction entrance to demand the settlement of outstanding wages, and the site was sealed with a sign of “China Building”. The most immediate contradiction at the scene was that wages were not paid on time and workers had to gather to pursue them.

State-owned works are also subject to intensive pay

Freedom House has statistics that 38.1 per cent of the third quarter of the protests on construction sites related to State-owned enterprises and involved 43 units under the umbrella of 15 State enterprises. Workers ' protests accounted for the total number of protests online, rising from 28 per cent in July to 58 per cent in August. The contradiction of salary arrears in the construction industry was already concentrated before the peak of traditional debt-servicing.

The report also disclosed that the various construction boards of the China Construction Group had taken over the real estate enterprise project, which was partially in debt distress. The development of the contractor ' s financial constraints, delays in the recovery of the works and the impairment of the construction enterprise ' s credit will have an impact on the cash flow of the sub-contracting units. In the case of the floor-contracting sites, it is often the first-line workers who end up suffering the consequences of delays in payment.

These financial difficulties have specific business backgrounds, but do not exempt them from the duty to pay wages. The dispute between workers ' remuneration for work and the debts of developers is of two different natures.

The lump sum cannot be transferred to the subcontract

The Regulation on Guaranteeing Wage Payment for Farmers ' Workers provides for the introduction of a system of management in the area of construction of work, such as a special account for wages, a real name system, etc. If the sub-contracting unit defaults on the wages of the migrant worker, the main contractor shall pay the amount paid in accordance with the law. The construction unit is also responsible for the timely disbursement of labour costs as required.

The salary arrears for the Fujian project should therefore be determined by the payroll records of the construction contract and the payroll payment, whether the labour costs are assigned to the exclusive household, whether the sub-contracting unit is paid for attendance and attendance, and whether the lead contractor has performed its supervisory, pre-liquidation obligations. Workers are not required to travel between contractors at all levels to settle construction-related disputes on behalf of the enterprise.

From the blocking of the Fujian site to 85 protests recorded in the first three quarters of the Chinese construction group, the contradictions have spread to several projects in Zongzhou. Each construction site should have a clear working record, payables and liquidation procedures. The law already provides for the payment of first-time payments, and the work site can no longer be used to push the workers and others against each other.