The upcoming 14th National Congress of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) will hear and deliberate an amended version of the trade union constitution, which would highlight the union's function of rights protection.

In the amended version, protecting trade union members' legal rights is the organization's essential responsibility, said Su Baoshu, ACTFU vice president, at a press conference held Thursday.

The present constitution was passed during the 13th National Congress in 1998. In the past five years, China has experienced great changes politically, economically and socially and the old constitution needed some changes, said Su.

China has at least 94 million migrant workers now, a new clause has been added into the amended constitution stipulating that trade union members could keep and transfer their membership when moving to another place.

There were no such regulations previously, as Chinese trade unions had no migrant worker members before.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2003)