A draft measure, aiming to clarify the rights and operation of workers' congresses in key state-owned enterprises (SOEs), underwent a tenth reading Friday.

"This is the final reading, and the measure will come out soon," Wang Ruixiang, vice-director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), promised at a meeting attended by chairpersons of the SOE labor unions. All of China's 159 central SOEs, whose profit accounts for 42 percent of the nation's industries, should set up a worker's congress system in 2007, according to the draft measure initiated by SASAC.

The system, by design, will ensure staff members at all levels of the central SOEs enjoy democratic rights of advising, voting, passing certain draft resolutions, and supervising managers.

The congresses will be comprised of 60 percent staff members, 20 percent senior managers and 20 percent technicians.

"The workers' congress system will be the most effective way for workers to have a say in the central SOEs," said Li Xuedong, the SASAC official in charge of labor unions in central SOEs.

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2007)