Local experts have urged Shanghai government to improve labor laws for nursing aides and enhance training of nursing skills and legal knowledge after a recent survey found that over 77 percent of nursing aides don't sign labor contracts with their agencies.

The survey by Shanghai Women's Federation covered 909 nursing aides from 30 city hospitals.

Li Rong, manager of Shanghai Laibang Domestic Service Agency, said many nursing aides don't want to sign contracts because they had to buy insurance costing 172 yuan (US$23).

"Many migrant workers want the company to give them the money instead of buying insurance for them," Li said. "Moreover, many workers change jobs frequently. Companies find it difficult to manage them."

He said many nursing aides in his company leave their jobs after several months because of the heavy workload and hospital environment.

Yu Fei, an official from Shanghai No. 10 People's Hospital, said hiring a nursing aide was a business between a patient and the worker, who is not included as part of a hospital's medical practice.

According to the survey, 97.4 percent of the nursing aides are women, 78.9 percent of whom are between 36 and 50 years old. About 84.9 percent of the workers are migrants.

Their overall education background is low, as 71.6 percent of nursing aides only have completed primary school or secondary school, and 17.2 percent are illiterate.

(Shanghai Daily September 7, 2007)