More than 66.74 million Chinese migrant workers, people who come from rural areas and land jobs in cities, became trade union members, said the All-China Federation of Trade Unions on Tuesday.

The federation estimated there are 210 million migrant workers nationwide with the country's rural population of 900 million.

The total number of trade union members increased from 123 million in 2003 to 209 million by the end of June this year, said the federation.

This means China has the highest number of trade union members in the world. As membership rises, so does the protection of legitimate rights for unionists, said the federation.

The majority of the mainland's multinational companies on the Fortune 500 list are unionized. Some 3,768 of their corporate entities, or 82 percent of the total, had established trade unions by the end of September.

The federation is set to hold its 15th national congress meeting from October 17 to 21 in Beijing.

A total of 1,800 deputies and 289 special deputies from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, as well as 29 guests from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, will participate.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2008)