In response to the increasing number of labor disputes, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has asked its affiliates at various levels to establish a green channel to facilitate employees' appeals about labor disputes.
It is said that the Green Channel will focus on assisting disadvantaged social groups such as migrant workers and people who live on or below the poverty line, ensuring a fast and barrier-free arbitration process for them.
In the first three quarters of 2008, China's labor arbitration departments accepted 520,000 applications for the resolution of labor disputes, a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2007.