Court taps power of Weibo

The Higher People's Court in Henan Province launched a new cyber service hall on Monday, which aims to provide online advice and support to migrant workers involved in wage disputes.

The legal aid platform allows migrant workers to outline their case on the court's Sina Weibo and then receive advice from one of eight court workers who answer inquiries that mainly focus on delayed payment of wages.

The court's existing Weibo account established a year ago has more than 1.5 million followers. Each of the province's 183 lower courts also maintains their own Weibo accounts, all of which are now integrated into a single platform.

Migrant workers who face delays getting paid or are cheated out of their wages have become a thorny social issue. The problem is most severe at the end of the year when many migrant workers expect to return home with a bundle of cash.

Zhang Liyong, chief justice of Henan Higher People's Court said the new platform aims to utilize the power of Weibo to help migrant workers receive their due wages. "Let them go home proudly during Spring Festival." Zhang said during the opening of the cyber service hall.

Court data shows that in Henan alone there are 1,052 open wage-dispute cases involving 2,395 workers, who claim they are owed more than 80 million yuan ($13 million). The numbers are expected to jump as the year end approaches.

Ke Yangzhi, who supervises the online service center, said the platform provides legal information to migrant workers, coordinates with lower courts to facilitate progress of existing cases and helps enforce court orders so workers get their money as soon as possible.

"We hope this new platform will reduce the rigidity of our traditional procedures and make it easier for migrant workers to get help," Ke told the Global Times Tuesday.

Currently, the trained staffers employed as the court's online service team are available to answer inquiries until midnight.

A migrant worker surnamed Wei was the first user of the new service on Tuesday, when he complained about waiting three months to be paid his wages of 7,933 yuan ($1270) and now his boss won't answer his phone calls.

"I received the reply within an hour. They suggested I keep trying to reach my boss, or sue him in the court in his home city. It's not easy to sue someone and I hope the court could offer more concrete guidance."

Tan Qiugui, a professor of Civil Procedure Law from the China University of Political Science and Law, said the court's online platform must avoid interfering with the independent adjudication process.

"Providing simple legal information is not necessarily the higher court's responsibility, but improving efficiency should benefit the workers." Tan told the Global Times Tuesday.