SHENZHEN: The Shenzhen General Trade Union (SGTU) has gone ahead and set up a trade union for workers at Foxconn after the Taiwan-invested information technology company failed to establish one as promised.

Foxconn, which is listed in Hong Kong and employs about 200,000 workers, had pledged to establish a trade union by the end of last year. The company was embroiled in a lawsuit with China Business News, following a report on the working conditions of its employees.

The SGTU on Sunday started recruiting members in the company's staff recreation area.

A total of 118 Foxconn employees have so far joined the trade union.

No representatives of the company's management attended the group's inaugural meeting.

According to the law, a union can be established in any company in the nation with a minimum of 25 workers without the consent of the company's management.

SGTU official, Duan Xinqing, said it had been trying to persuade the company to establish a labour union since 2004, but to no avail.

The company and the union later agreed a union would be established before the end of 2006.

Duan said they were making the company honour its promise.

"This is an innovative move. It will help promote the protection of workers rights in other foreign-funded and private business," he said.

The union plans to rent an office in Longhua district, where a Foxconn facility, Hongfujin Precision Industry Company, is located.

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