Shougang Employees’ Union Wins National May 1st Labor Medal and Title of “Collective with Important Contributions”

At the Summary and Commendation Meeting of Solving Difficulties for Urban Employees held on May 31st, the Shougang Employees’ Union won the national May 1st Labor Medal and the title of “Collective with Important Contributions in Solving Difficulties for Urban Employees”.

Solving difficulties for urban employees is an important political task with which the Party Central Committee has entrusted the Shougang Employees’ Union. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, all employees’ unions at all levels conscientiously implement the important directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, and focus on the overall situation of poverty alleviation. With the strong support of Party committees and governments at all levels and all sectors of society, after five years of hard work, the objectives and tasks of solving difficulties for urban employees have been fully accomplished. This time, a total of 20 collectives won the national May 1st Labor Medal, and 120 units won the title of “Collective with Important Contributions in Solving Difficulties for Urban Employees”.

In the process of solving difficulties for urban employees, under the leadership of the Group’s superior employees’ union and Party Committee, the Shougang Employees’ Union took the activity of "caring for employees and walking hand in hand” as a carrier, implemented systematic construction and target-oriented management, built the “five bridges”, explored and formed a range of experience in serving employees, and achieved remarkable results in solving difficulties. 

The subject’s responsibility is implemented through the political position, and the three-dimensional organizational system is thus built. The implementation of responsibility should adhere to the “four principles”, namely “adhere to the leadership of the Party to identify the responsibility of the subject of assistance; adhere to the problem-oriented approach to identify the subject of assistance; adhere to precision and refinement to enhance the effectiveness of assistance; and adhere to method innovation to upgrade assistance”. The first responsible person of the Party committee secretary, the directly responsible person of the chairperson of the employee’s union, and the most basic organizational system of Party branches, employees’ union branches and employees’ union groups are established, forming a three-level assistance network system. Visits should follow the principle of “four timely” (timely grasp, timely reporting, timely intervention, and timely assistance) and “two musts” (visits must paid every month and on holidays). The number of employees in difficulties, causes of difficulties and methods and goals of assistance should be clarified, and “personalized” “point-to-point” assistance should be provided. 

Assistance activities are improved in innovative ways, and the “five bridges” are built. A regular assistance bridge is built to guarantee the basic living expenses of employees in difficulties. The echelon file management system is improved for the overall investigation and classified development of strategies. During holidays, epidemics and other special periods, the dynamic and regular management of assistance for employees in difficulties are implemented according to four categories: employees in extreme difficulties, employees in relative difficulties, employees in difficulties due to accidents, and employees as objects of assistance. Since 2017, more than RMB 9 million in condolence funds and relief funds have been granted to employees in difficulties.

The assistance system is improved and an emergency assistance bridge built for employees in difficulties. Certain systems have been formulated, such as the Implementation Opinions on Further Solving Difficulties for and Supporting Employees in Difficulties and Hand in Hand • Shougang • Beijing Warm Fund Sub-fund Management Rules. In light of the huge burden of medical expenses, which is the primary cause of poverty and returning to poverty, assistance according to files is replaced by step-by-step assistance according to proportions; the amount of assistance has been adjusted from RMB 3,000–10,000 to a maximum of RMB 50,000, and special factors such as malignant tumors and organ transplantation have been added. Through promoting the establishment of the “Hand in Hand • Shougang Warm Fund” sub-fund, the maximum amount of assistance can reach RMB 200,000, forming a superimposed assistance effect. Over the past three years, a total of 3.16 million yuan has been distributed in the form of assistance funds and warm funds.

Customization ensures that there are no blind angles, and an educational assistance bridge is built to help employees in difficulties. Through educational assistance measures such as increasing the amount of educational grants, broadening the scope of objects of assistance and increasing the stages of education, the scope of assistance is extended to include those in difficulties due to accidents and objects of Shougang’s assistance, and assistance is extended from stages beyond the nine-year compulsory education to the whole process of education, forming Shougang’s special educational assistance standards in four categories and nine sub-categories. Since 2017, a total of RMB 2.1925 million in educational grants has been granted to the children of 686 employees in difficulties.

The scope of assistance is expanded and an assistance bridge built to help employees in temporary difficulties. In light of the real living difficulties of some employees, in order to avoid the “steep cliff effect”, since 2017, a total of RMB 4.7 million has been raised for temporary relief, given the fact that some employees are above the poverty line but still face real difficulties.

A mutual insurance system for employees is implemented and a risk-resistance bridge built for employees. The mutual insurance system includes two public welfare insurance plans and five mutual insurances, covering basic medical treatment, serious diseases and accidental injuries. The number of insured people has increased from 118,000 in 2016 to 220,000 in 2020, benefiting 28,000 employees (144,000 person-times) with mutual insurance compensation of RMB 42.21 million. At the same time, the employees’ union of the Group has innovated its assistance forms, expanded the scope and intensity of assistance, and adopted the characteristic practice of granting medical subsidies according to the amount that employees pay out of their own pocket on the basis of mutual insurance claims. In the past four years, 2,972 people have been helped, and RMB 4.248 million in relief funds has been granted, winning the unanimous recognition of the Group’s employees.