More than 60 percent of blue collar workers in Shanghai have not received mandatory subsidies for working outdoors during the summer months, according to a survey released Sunday by a prominent job search website.

A subway maintenance worker checks the air conditioner on top of a train, where the temperature can rise as high as 60 C. Photo: CFP

Construction workers sweat under the scorching sun in Pudong New Area. Photo: CFP

Construction workers sweat under the scorching sun in Pudong New Area. Photo: CFP 

The survey illustrates the problem that many local blue collar workers face collecting the government mandated allowance from employers, especially when it is too small to make much of a fuss over.

Daguu.com, Shanghai's largest job search website for blue collar workers, interviewed 1,200 local workers earlier this month for the survey, which found that 62 percent of them had not received the high temperature allowance.

The Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau instituted hot weather allowances in 2007. Last year, it mandated that all workers receive a 200-yuan ($31.30) monthly allowance from June to September. The bureau also required companies to pay cash subsidies to workers who are exposed to extreme temperatures while on the job.

Among the jobs that require working outdoors, more than 84 percent of couriers said they did not receive a high temperature allowance, according to the survey. Meanwhile, 55 percent of construction workers said they did not receive any allowance.

Zhang Ming, an elevator maintenance worker from Anhui Province, said that the only heat-related benefit his company offers is free cold drinks. "I didn't get an extra 200 yuan in my June salary," he told the Global Times. "I didn't know that my employer was supposed to pay me that."

Still, it wasn't enough for Zhang to take formal action against his employer. "I wouldn't sue him for such a petty amount because I don't want to lose my job," he said.

According to the survey, more than 63 percent of respondents said they would not take their employers to labor arbitration to get the allowance.

The Shanghai Municipal General Labor Union has not received any complaints about the high temperature subsidy this year, a press officer surnamed Dong said. "White collar workers are more aware of their right to the high temperature allowance than blue collar workers, who have greater need of it," he said. "They are usually afraid they will lose their jobs if they take their employers to court."

The punishment for not paying the allowance might also be too lenient, said Luo Ming, a labor lawyer from the Feng & Zhu Law Firm. "The maximum penalty for not paying the subsidy is 10,000 yuan," he told the Global Times. "For many employers, it is cheaper to pay the fine than to pay workers the allowance. There is little that blue collar workers can do to fight for their benefits."