Progress made in protecting workers' rights: white paper

BEIJING - China is working to guarantee the basic rights of workers through amending laws, expanding trade unions and promoting fair payment, says a government report Tuesday.

The country has amended a number of laws related to workers' rights including the Labor Contract Law and the Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Diseases, says the report titled "Progress in China's Human Rights in 2012" issued by the Information Office of the State Council.

More trade unions have been established, involving more employees. By the end of September 2012 the number of grassroots trade unions had increased to 2.67 million, covering 6.17 million enterprises and public institutions, up 34.9 percent and 42.8 percent over 2009 respectively, according to the report.

Among them, 1.86 million trade unions were set up in non-public economic organizations, an increase of 47 percent over 2009.

The number of trade union members nationwide reached 280 million, among whom 160 million were from non-public sectors, up 16.7 percent and 16 percent over 2009, respectively.

China actively promotes the collective negotiation system on wages to guarantee the employees' right to fair remuneration, the report says.

By the end of September 2012, a total of 1.23 million special collective contracts had been signed throughout the country, involving 3.08 million enterprises and 150 million employees, up 140 percent, 241 percent and 142 percent over 2009, respectively.

In 2012 labor security supervision organs at various levels urged employers to sign labor contracts with 8.06 million employees.

In the same year 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government raised their local minimum wage standards, averaging a 22-percent annual hike.

The per capita annual wage of employees in urban public sectors increased from 24,932 yuan (about $4,000) in 2007 to 42,452 yuan in 2011 and that of employees in urban private sectors increased from 18,199 yuan in 2009 to 24,556 yuan in 2011.

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Full text: Progress in China's Human Rights in 2012