The joint conference system between the governments and the trade unions is a system under  which the Chinese trade unions at various levels deal with serious issues concerning  economic and social development and workers' rights and interests along with the governments  and the industrial trade unions at the same levels and with the relevant government  departments or trade associations by means of holding meetings together or notifying each  other of actual situations.

        I. Construction and Development of the Joint Conference System between the Governments and  the Trade Unions

        At the end of 1980s, the Shaanxi Provincial Federation of Trade Unions proposed that  strengthening participation in and discussing of government and political affairs by local  trade unions above the county level should be taken as an important question for study so as  to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of the workers. Through full  discussion and consultation between Shaanxi Provincial Government and the Provincial  Federation of Trade Unions, a proposal was put forward that the joint conference system  between the Shaanxi Provincial Government and the Provincial Federation of Trade Unions  should be set up in order to ensure that the trade unions play a role in participating in  and discussing government and political affairs. In December 1988, the Shaanxi Provincial  Government and the Shaanxi Provincial Federation of Trade Unions held the first joint  conference.

        In July 1989, the joint conference system between Shaanxi Provincial Government and Shaanxi  Provincial Federation of Trade Unions was fully approved by state leaders and the state  leaders pointed out that the joint conference is a good way for trade unions to participate  in and discuss government and political affairs. In 1989, the documents issued by the state  about the work conducted by trade unions, youth organizations and the women's federations  prescribed that “people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and province-level  municipalities as well as of large and medium-sized cities can report some policies, laws,  regulations and important working plans and study and solve the problems among the masses of  workers reflected by trade unions by holding forums or joint conferences with trade unions  of the same levels at regular or irregular intervals”.

        The 34th Article of the Trade Union Law of the People's Republic of China revised and  promulgated in 2001 stipulates that “local people's governments at various levels above the  county level can hold meetings or adopt some other suitable ways to report important  governments' work plans and administrative measures concerning trade union work to trade  unions at the same levels and should study and handle the opinions and requirements of the  masses of workers reflected by trade unions”.

        In September 2003, the State Council held the forum between departments concerned and the  All-China federation of Trade Unions, stressing that connection between the State Council  and its related departments and the All-China Federation of  Trade Unions should be enhanced.  The General Office of the State Council, upon joint consultation with All-China Federation  of Trade Unions and in line with the inspection of the Trade Union Law enforcement carried  out by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, issued in December 2004 the  circular on thoroughly implementing the Trade Union Law to support trade union work. The  circular pointed out that “local governments above the county level should report important  work plans of the governments and policies and measures concerning trade union work to trade  unions at the same levels by holding meetings or in other suitable ways, and should study  and deal with the opinions and requirements reflected by trade unions”.

        Governments in various localities of China attach great importance to the construction of  the joint conference system. Governments of almost half of the provinces throughout the  country, such as Fujian, Anhui, Sichuan, Jiangsu and Henan, have all issued relevant  documents on promoting the construction of the joint conference system and some places have  even brought the joint conference work into the annual work plans of the governments. For  instance, the Fujian Provincial Government has determined the joint conference with the  trade unions to be one of the meetings to be held by the government each year.

        In accordance with the state laws and relevant policies and documents, trade unions at  various levels in China have positively promoted the establishment of the joint conference  systems along with the governments at the same levels to jointly negotiate and solve serious  issues concerning workers' rights and interests and labor relations. According to statistics  of All-China Federation of Trade Unions, by the end of 2006, 28 provinces (autonomous  regions and province-level municipalities) across the country had set up the joint  conference systems between governments and trade unions, most of the provinces (autonomous  regions and province-level municipalities) have expanded the joint conference system towards  places at the prefectural (municipal) and county (district) levels, with some places  reaching a system establishment rate of l00％, thus forming an initial work pattern of the  joint conference system at provincial, prefectural and county levels. In addition, 2  ministries and commissions, 7 industry bureaus and 10 trade associations or federations  under the State Council held joint conferences with their counterpart industrial trade  unions from across the country. In 2006, 2,014 (accounting for 62.5％) local trade unions at  or above the county level throughout the country held joint conferences with the governments  at the same levels, of which 20 (accounting for 64.5％) trade unions were at the provincial  level, 210 (accounting for 63.1％) at the prefectural level and 1,784 (accounting for 62.4％ ) at the county level.