AN electronics factory in Pingshan New Zone has promised to pay its workers delayed December salaries within two days.

    Located in an industrial park in the eastern Shenzhen zone, the factory paid only 600 yuan (US$95) of December salaries to each of its low-level workers before the Spring Festival, promising to pay the rest to workers who didn’t quit after the festival, according to workers, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

    Workers at the factory earn an average of 2,000 yuan per month, the newspaper said. The factory paid December salaries to its top management in full and on time.

    The periods before and after the Spring Festival are peak seasons for workers to change jobs.

    The subdistrict office said December salaries should have been paid in full by Jan. 28 at latest, according to labor laws.

    The office has received complaints from factory workers and would pose an administrative fine of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan on factory owners if they failed to pay the delayed salaries, the newspaper said.

    Wu Limin, a member of the city legislature’s judiciary committee, said businesses should try to keep their employees by improving pay, welfare, accommodation and workplace culture, fostering loyalty to ownership.

    Delaying pay is inadvisable and can damage the reputation of enterprises, Wu said.

    Wu said labor departments should be tough on enterprises that fail to fully pay their employees.(Li Hao)