Definition of HR key concerns & focus on the new Labour Contract Law

Following discussions with Human Resources Managers, members of the European Chamber came up with the idea of setting up a Human Resources Working Group (HR WG).

What is the purpose of the HR WG?
To provide a discussion forum to address key concerns in all areas of HR and to find solutions by sharing experiences. Depending on the discussion topic, there may be a presentation from an expert, consultant or a representative from the Chinese authorities - at the beginning of the Working Group meeting; this will provide useful information and a basis for discussion. Questions from companies will be sent to speakers in advance of the meeting.

To have a business organization representing the international community for benchmarking purposes.
And on a long-term basis, to make recommendations to the Chinese authorities in the form of the European Chamber annual Position Paper. From previous Working Group discussions, it is clear that many of the issues faced by HR Managers result from the difficulty of applying new regulations together with the lack of clear channels of communication between businesses and the authorities. The European Chamber is ideally placed to present such messages to the Chinese authorities in a constructive way on behalf of companies.

In summary, the Working Group enables companies to achieve results through collective action.

Chairmanship:
The HR WG has to be chaired by a key person with HR expertise from a member company. This individual will play a crucial role in driving the development and promotion of the Working Group in partnership with the European Chamber staff.

A Chairman will be appointed next month in February.

In this first session, the participating representatives of the member companies (ideally English speaking Human Resources managers and General Managers) will identify and prioritize the most important HR topics to be discussed during 2007.

To make the brainstorming session more efficient, please send us in advance :
- The topics you wish to learn about.
- The topics on which you could provide information, share your experience, case studies.
- Your suggestions for external speakers: names and contact details.

By email to: fhadjisotiriou@euccc.com.cn ; deadline: January 17th, 2007 Your input is fundamental and important! Thank you for your cooperation.
 
Topic of the day:
Based on discussions with various companies, one highly relevant topic is the new Labour Contract Law of the People Republic of China. This Law will fundamentally alter workforce management in the country. Following extensive consultation with its members, the European Chamber has submitted comments on the 1st draft of the Labour Contract Law to the Legal Affairs Committee of the National People Congress (NPC) in April 2006. The 2nd (revised) draft of the Labour Contract Law was submitted to the National People Congress (NPC) on December 24, 2006. The new version has significant changes to the 1st draft some positive to employers, some negative. We would like to present briefly the major changes. This will be an initial discussion as the document is still being studied. Hewitt carried out an extensive survey of companies in March 2006 to evaluate how they were preparing for the new law.

Hewitt has therefore a very good understanding of this law and of the practical consequences.
The European Chamber will be inviting Ms. Michelle Liu, Senior Consultant from Hewitt Associates Consulting Co., Ltd Guangzhou, member of the European Chamber Pearl River Delta Chapter, to present the initial overview of the new Labour Contract Law.

About Hewitt Associates Consulting:
Hewitt Associates is the world foremost provider of HR outsourcing and consulting services, delivering a complete range of human capital management services. The services are: Retention and Talent Management, Leadership & Management Development, Corporate Restructuring & Change, Compensation & Benefits Management, HR Outsourcing.
Website: www.hewittasia.com

Participants are encouraged to express their concerns and ask questions.
We warmly invite you to be part of this HR meeting. The Kick-Off should not be missed!
After the kick-off HR meeting, each session will be a HR Working Group meeting and therefore will be dedicated to one general topic which the participants have identified as high priority. The Working Groups are for members only.

Agenda:      
3:50 - 4:00pm: Reception. Registration & Payment. Refreshment.
4:00 - 4:15pm: Working Group Structure, Organization, Objectives by Francine Hadjisotiriou, General Manager from the European Chamber - PRD Chapter
4:15 - 4:25pm: Introduction of each participant (all)
4:25 - 5:10pm: Definition of topics for future HR WG meetings (all)
5:10 - 5:15pm: Coffee/tea break
5:15 - 5:50pm: Introduction to 2nd Draft of new Labour Contract Law by Ms Michelle Liu, Senior Consultant from Hewitt Guangzhou and Q&A
5:50 - 6:00pm: Summary  
Venue:
Shenzhen, Crowne Plaza hotel, 3F, Milano room, 9026 Shennan Road, Overseas Chinese Town (opposite to Window of the World).
Access map is on Crowne Plaza website http://www.crowneplaza.com.
For directions, please feel free to call free to call the hotel reception (0755.2693.6888) or the European Chamber (Simmi Huang: 136.3224.1629
Registration: 
Please confirm your participation by e-mail to: prd@euccc.com.cn.

Please remember to cancel your participation if you are unable to attend the session. If you cancel the day of the meeting the preferred means is by telephone. This will help to ensure the smooth running and successful organization of our event. Thank you for your understanding.

Best Regards
Francine Hadjisotiriou
General Manager
European Union Chamber of Commerce in China - Pearl River Delta Chapter
Julong Pavilion 3F, No.221 LongKou W.Rd.
Tianhe, Guangzhou 510630
Mob:(+86) 159.9955.6125
Tel: (+86) 20.8758.0479
Fax:(+86) 20.6121.1006
Email: fhadjisotiriou@euccc.com.cn

For more information, please visit: http://www.crowneplaza.com.

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