A labor contract management software was released on Friday in Beijing to help enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones, to better implement the Labor Contract Law that passed in June.

The software, jointly developed by the labor science research institute under the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MOLSS) and UFIDA Software Company, contains all laws and regulations on labor contracts.

It also includes dozens of standard samples of labor contracts on different jobs.

The software is also the only software that contains a part of "collective contracts". The Labor Contract Law for the first time stipulates that the trade union has the right to sign collective contracts with employers on behalf of workers.

In addition, the software offers some other functions such as data analysis, and it is compatible with most existing human resources management software, according to UFIDA.

"It's professional and easy to use," You Jun, director of the labour science research institute, said.

He said the software mainly targets small and medium-sized companies, because many of such enterprises are still poor in labor contract management.

According to figures from the Law Committee of the National People's Congress, less than 20 percent of small and medium-sized companies or private firms sign labor contracts with employees in a bid to cut costs.

However, the MOLSS aims to put 90 percent of its working force under the protection of formal labor contracts by the end of this year.

Qiu Xiaoping, director of the MOLSS's labor and wages department, said the software would help implement the law and reduce labor disputes.

But Qiu said the ministry recommended the software but it was not mandatory for enterprises to use it.

Yao Hongmei, a human resource manager with the Beijing Heroes Technology Company, said the software had freed her from paperwork.

(China Daily August 11, 2007)