China introduced trial implementation of the labor contract system in the mid 1980s, which has provided legal support for safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of employees, said a white paper titled "China's Human Resources" issued on Friday.

The white paper, issued by the Information Office of the State Council, said China's labor contract system was officially established by the promulgation of the Labor Law in the 1990s. The Labor Contract Law, promulgated in 2007, further improves the labor contract system, specifying the rights and obligations of employers and employees.

The Labor Law and the Labor Contract Law both prescribe a collective contract system, encouraging enterprises to adopt collective consultation and to sign collective contracts.

"Collective consultation, together with a collective contract system, is being actively implemented in China. A mechanism, by which trade union or employee's representatives could negotiate with employers for interests, has been established," said the paper.

The white paper said that for fair and timely settlement of labor disputes, the Law on Mediation and Arbitration of Labor Disputes was adopted in 2007, stipulating the scope, procedures, organizations, personnel and mechanism for labor dispute mediation and arbitration.

In addition, the Regulations on Labor Security Supervision has been issued and put into effect, specifying the functions, implementation and legal liabilities of labor security supervision, providing significant legal support for safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of employees, the white paper said.