The Communist Party yesterday pledged to put slack state employees to work.
It said the days of 'one man's work being done by three' must end. People's Daily urged managers of state-owned mines, mills and factories to assign loafers to meaningful jobs.
'State-owned enterprises must reduce the number of employees and increase efficiency,' it said.
'If this issue cannot be resolved, other reforms cannot be achieved.' In a lengthy editorial preceding International Workers' Day, commentators said slackers must be reassigned if the state sector was to stem mounting losses.
'Enterprises must change the situation of one man's work being done by three and three men's meals being shared by five,' People's Daily said.
'It is the most fundamental task, in deepening enterprise reform, to reduce the number of employees.' China has 148 million workers on the state enterprise payroll.