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Download Liu Kai got up at 4:30 am on June 27 and left home 30 minutes later. His routine was fixed. He bought four steamed buns from a street vendor and drove the No 158 bus. He spent 10 yuan ($1.57) on a box lunch and went home for his supper at about 9 pm. Liu drove a bus in Shenyang, the capital Liaoning province, during his approximately 14-hour workday. It was an ordinary day for him, much like all the others over the past 10 years. Liu worked 27 days in June, all longer than 13 hours. He drove 2,860 kilometers, and earned2,200 yuan ($345). "My basic salary has not changed in the past 10 years and I can only save around 1,700 yuan, a sum that is barely enough to look after a family," Liu, 36, said. He is helping to raise a 5-year-old child. Not surprisingly, Liu is delighted that his monthly salary will see a 15-percent rise this year thanks to a collective contract signed by representatives from the Shenyang public transport association and the Shenyang federation of trade unions. This is the first collective contract in the country for public transport. Liu is not the only one benefiting. The contract will ensure a minimum 15 percent wage rise for the 15,000 public transport workers in Shenyang this year. It sets a minimum monthly salary of 1,600 yuan for drivers, 1,500 yuan for bus maintenance workers, 1,450 yuan for dispatchers, and 1,200 yuan for logistics staff members. | 
