Trade unions need to implement the essence of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in an all-around way to make substantial efforts to protect the legal rights of workers, the country's top trade union official said.

In his recent tour of the northeast Jilin Province, Wang Zhaoguo, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and president of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, said this was required to "bring the role of the working class as the main force in promoting social harmony into full play".

During his stay, Wang visited low-income families of factory employees and had meetings with the provincial party, the local government and trade union leaders.

He urged local trade union officials to push forward the implementation of the Party's policy of relying on the working class wholeheartedly. This was to carry out their sacred responsibility of protecting workers' rights, and helping the Party and the government to resolve problems that are most attended by workers, most related to their interests and most practical for them.

China recently began implementing three new laws -- the Law on Labor Contract, the Law on the Promoting of Employment, and the Law on Intermediation and Arbitration of Labor Dispute.

Wang called for taking the implementation of these laws as a good opportunity to build harmonious relations between employees and employers in local enterprises.

"Try hard to build poor workers aid centers into sunny workers' homes," Wang said. He called these centers an important window for displaying the efforts made by the Party and the government in improving people's lives.

Local officials should also try hard to visit all families of needy factory employees during next month's Spring Festival, he noted.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2008)