Project contractor Li X was in arrears with the hard-earned money of 25 peasant workers and had long evaded and refused to pay, and was recently sentenced to six months in prison and fined 10,000 yuan by the Weidu District People's Court of Xuchang City, Henan Province, for the crime of refusing to pay labor remuneration.
In July 2021, Li contracted the steel bar, concrete and other projects of a residential real estate in Xuchang City, and owed the wages of 25 migrant workers in the construction team totaling more than 20 yuan. The local human resources and social security department served Li with a "Rectification Instruction within a Time Limit", ordering him to pay the arrears of migrant workers' wages in full, but he still refused to pay on the grounds that the project money had not been fully settled. In September 2023, Li's family received 300,000 yuan of project money on his behalf, which was specially used to pay migrant workers' wages, but Li misappropriated the money to repay his own project advance.
After Li was arrested by the public security organs, his family paid the wages of the 25 migrant workers in full on his behalf and obtained understanding. Li voluntarily signed a plea affidavit, and had no objections to the facts and evidence alleged by the procuratorate.
The court held at trial that the defendant Li had the ability to pay but did not pay the labor remuneration of the laborer, and the amount was relatively large, and he still did not pay it after being ordered to do so by the relevant departments, and his behavior constituted the crime of refusing to pay the labor remuneration. In consideration of the facts and nature of the defendant's crime, admission of guilt and acceptance of punishment, and other circumstances, the court made the above judgment in accordance with law.
The judge said after the trial that the management of wage arrears is related to the vital interests of migrant workers and the well-being of people's livelihood. In this case, the malicious non-payment of wages was severely cracked down on in accordance with the law, so that those who were lucky and defy the law did not gain more than they lost, so that those who seek wages no longer had to worry about their wages, and effectively safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of workers.
*:Rule of law**.