A group of 40 lawyers in central China Wednesday promised to provide free legal aid for migrant workers who ask for defaulted wages as the Spring Festival draws near.

"Every day there will be at least three lawyers in our office to provide free advice for migrant workers from all around the country," said Qin Xiyan, initiator of the group, who is also an owner of a law firm in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.

The group also opened a 24-hour hotline and promised to work efficiently while welcoming the supervision of media and the public.

Although the government has took some measures to solve the problem in recent years, wage arrear for migrant workers remains a problem due to their weak position and lack of knowledge, especially near the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year that brings millions of migrant workers home from afar, according to Qin.

Solving the problem of wage defaults requires help from all of society, including lawyers, said Qin, noting that relevant laws and regulations still have deficiencies.

It is the ninth year the group has provided these services, and they have helped more than 15,000 migrant workers recover wages of 150 million yuan ($23.64 million) since 2003, Qin said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2011)