BEIJING -- The world's retail giant Wal-Mart has established 19 trade unions in its Chinese outlets since late July, disclosed an official of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) on Friday.

"The negotiations between Wal-Mart and ACFTU have proved fruitful. The two sides have agreed to set up trade unions in Wal-Mart Chinese outlets on a cooperative and harmonious basis and in line with Chinese laws, " an ACFTU official said on Friday in a Xinhua interview.

The two sides agreed that the candidates for trade union posts in a Wal-Mart Chinese outlet should be approved by a higher-level trade union after work staff's nomination.

Then, the work staff will elect, by secret ballot, a chairman, vice chairpersons and posts in the trade union committee. The election outcome should be reported to the higher level trade union for approval, said the official.

The outlet's manager, vice managers, human resources managers and their family relatives are not entitled to be trade union chairpersons, vice chairpersons or trade union committee members, said the official.

Wal-Mart has made commitments to help China's union authority establish branches in all its stores in China and strictly perform the duties written in China's Law on Trade Unions.

Wal-Mart opened its first outlet in China in 1996. Until July 29 this year, no Wal-Mart Chinese outlets had set up trade unions.

On July 29, its outlet in Jinjiang City, east China's Fujian Province, set up a trade union. In the following 20 days, another 18 trade unions were established in Wal-Mart's outlets in the cities of Shenzhen, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Jinan, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanchang, Qingdao, Wuhan and Taiyuan.