The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is working to implement a collective bargaining system nationwide among the trade union-established enterprises in China by 2012, the 21st Century Business Herald reported on Thursday.

Collective bargaining was first raised in 2000 as a way to balance the rights of employees and profits of employers. "We have proposed taking more effective measures to regulate the behaviors of enterprises that reject or give no response to collective bargaining, as an effort to enhance the enforcement of collective negotiation of wages," a member of the ACFTU said.

According to the goal set up by the union, collective contracts are to be signed in more than 60 percent of enterprises in China by the end of 2010, and more than 80 percent by 2011.

At present, 13 cities and provinces in China are developing collective bargaining, and 23 cities and provinces have enacted rules and regulations on collective bargaining.

According to the union, a special committee consisting of about 60,000 members was put together by the ACFTU to negotiate the wage issues between enterprises and employees across the country. ACFTU also planned to invest 100 million yuan in the first batch of trial cities for collective bargaining.