China´s top legislature approves minister nomination, adopts a number of bills

According to NPC statistics, labor dispute cases in China are continuously increasing in recent years. Statistics show that labor dispute arbitration organizations at various levels dealt with 1.72 million labor dispute cases involving 5.32 million employees from 1987 to the end of 2005, with a growth rate of 27.3 percent annually.

Wu said that the law on labor dispute mediation and arbitration is another important law aiming at improving China's labor system following the adoption of the labor contract law and the law on employment promotion earlier this year.

According to the law, corporate itself is entitled to establish labor mediation committee to solve the labor disputes occurred in its own corporate so as to solve disputes at grassroots level. The corporate labor mediation committee should consist of employees and representatives of managerial level.

Wu said the law, which aims to solve labor disputes justly and timely, will better protect employees' interests and help promote harmonious labor relations.

The anti-drug law, which will take effect on June, 1, 2008, is aimed at curbing drug-related crimes and reduce the growing number of users, especially under-aged addicts.

The law says that owners and managers of discos, bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues are responsible to report drug takers to the police or will be punished otherwise.

According to the law, drug addicts might be allowed to recover in their communities in a limited period of three years, rather than being confined to rehabilitation centers as the current drug control regulation requires.

It says that "drug-addicted minors under 16, pregnant women and those who breast-feed babies less than one year old are not appropriate for compulsive isolated drug rehabilitation."

Other law bills adopted at the session include a draft amendment to the law on road transportation safety, a draft revision of the law on science and technology progress, and a draft amendment to the law on cultural relic protection.

Editor:Zhang Ning