Yiwu appoints part-time arbitrators for foreign-related labor disputes in international trade. [Photo/Tide News]

The human resources and social security bureau, the justice bureau, and the people's court of Yiwu county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, launched a new legal coordination mechanism for handling foreign-related labor disputes on July 29.

As part of the initiative, Yiwu appointed foreign mediators and Zhejiang's first group of foreign part-time arbitrators for labor disputes, aiming to improve the resolution of cross-border labor conflicts and foster a more business-friendly environment.

Yiwu was designated as a provincial pilot city for developing new mechanisms to handle foreign-related labor disputes in international trade this year.

To address issues arising from Yiwu's large foreign business community, including inconsistent employment practices and frequent labor disputes, the city has been developing a comprehensive service system that covers the entire process, from prevention and mediation to arbitration and litigation.

In June, Yiwu established Zhejiang's first arbitration court for foreign-related labor disputes in international trade at the Yiwu International Trade Market, promoting the construction of a foreign mediator team to provide multilingual, professional, and accessible legal services.

According to Liu Xiaojian, head of the Yiwu labor and personnel dispute arbitration court, appointing foreign mediators and arbitrators is an innovative measure tailored to Yiwu's thriving foreign trade and large foreign workforce. By leveraging their language skills and cultural understanding, they can help resolve disputes more effectively.