EMPLOYERS hiring workers without a contract can be fined 300 yuan (US$37) for each employee, according to a regulation of the Guangdong Provincial Labor Department.

The regulation also asks for "equal treatment" of employees, whether local or migrant.

According to the regulation, an employment contract should be signed between an employer and an employee. The employers who refuse to sign contracts will be made to pay fines, and their names will be published in newspapers.

At least 75 percent of the province's employers should sign labor contracts with their employees by the end of this year, the regulation states. And by the end of 2008, all employers should have contracts.

The regulation states the contract should include the working hours, and the salary should be specified in accordance with the relevant rules of the local government.

If an employment relationship exists between an employer and an employee without a contract, the employer will need to sign the contract immediately. If an employee working without a contract suffers harm, the employer will provide the necessary compensation.

Editor: Yan