In the first Wal-Mart store established on the Chinese mainland, a group of 42 employees met to establish the US retail giant's second Chinese trade union, following only a week after the first.

"We will commit to establishing a stable and harmonious relationship between the employees and the employer, which would promote the consistent development of the company," Zhou Liang, a 27-year-old employee who was elected union chairman, said in the meeting.

Zhou reiterated that employees have the right to form and join trade unions in China, which is guaranteed by law.

Wal-Mart's Chinese headquarters, also located in Shenzhen, has been silent on the issue.

"We hadn't been formally notified of the establishment of the unions and we can't make any comment on it," a public relations official of Wal-Mart China, surnamed Wang, told China Daily on Friday.

"We have provided multiple channels for employees to communicate with the management. They won't feel any difficulty in voicing their concerns or dissatisfaction with Wal-Mart," Wang said.

The company just commissioned a consulting firm to complete a staff survey, in which employee concerns from the future development of the company and corporate culture to daily arrangements such as the canteen and shuttle services have been included.

Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, has long resisted the involvement of unions or other third parties with its work force.

It gave in under the pressure from All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and said in a statement that "establishing a union is a voluntary action of associates" in late 2004.

The first such union was established one week ago, in Quanzhou of east China's Fujian Province.

(China Daily August 5, 2006)