The ‘Zhejiang Province Measures for Implementing the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Trade Unions,’ which have been revised and approved by the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress, will come into effect starting from October 1, 2023. These revised measures provide clear provisions for safeguarding the rights and interests of workers in emerging employment arrangements.
According to these measures, dispatched workers are entitled to legally participate in or establish trade unions in labor dispatch units or employing organizations to protect their lawful rights and interests. In the context of new employment models, where the traditional employment relationship criteria may not be fully met, these include workers subject to enterprise labor management, flexible employees, and those in organizations that haven’t established trade unions. They are permitted to join regional or industry-specific trade union associations.
Regional and industry-specific trade union associations can represent workers in emerging employment forms, flexible workers, and those within organizations lacking trade unions. These associations can engage in negotiations and sign regional or industry-specific collective agreements with employers or representatives of enterprises. This facilitates the formulation and enhancement of labor standards. Legally established regional and industry-specific collective agreements have binding authority over both employers and workers within the respective regions or industries.
The previous version of the ‘Zhejiang Province Measures for Implementing the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Trade Unions’ was initially enacted in 1994 and underwent revisions in 2002. Authorities cite the rapid development of the province’s economy and society in recent years, marked by the rise of digital and sharing economies and significant transformations in enterprise organization, management practices, production methods, and employment structures, as the driving force behind the timely amendments to these implementation measures.
