The Pudong New Area People's Court will handle all labor dispute cases for free from next year, it announced at a seminar yesterday evening.

The court said the free trials aimed to reduce lawsuit costs for workers, as the number of cases kept rising every year.

The court had accepted 1,304 labor dispute cases by November this year, 1,200 cases last year and 858 cases in 2003.

Lawsuits are generally launched to solve labor disputes between employees and their bosses, the court said.

Lawyers, business insiders and officials from the social security bureau, attended the seminar to discuss the scheme one week before the new law comes into effect.

The court noticed an increase in disputes between senior executives and companies about overtime payments. Court official Yu Bo said in most cases courts didn't support employees' demands.

"Senior executives, like general managers, have a flexible working times in most cases, different from common employees," Yu said. "And most senior executives didn't sign a contract stipulating how much they will be paid for working overtime for their companies."

There are also many lawsuits from laborers toward manufacturing companies and factories about substandard employment management.

Court director Ding Shouxing said the number of lawsuits brought forward was quite small compared with the estimated total figure of laborers who were suffering unfair treatment.

"Since only a few laborers turn to the court to demand their rights and punishment to companies is not severe according to the law, the substandard employment management existed in many companies," Ding said.

(Shanghai Daily December 25, 2007)