A non-government labor dispute mediation center has been set up in Shanghai amid increasing conflicts between employers and employees.

Established by human resource service company China Star Corporation, the center, which opened its doors last Thursday, is the first one in the city that is not directly controlled by a government department.

China Star Corporation has three other such centers in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Liu Chunsheng, a spokesman for China Star, told China Daily yesterday that the Beijing center has handled an average of 255 labor disputes a month since it opened in July last year. Of these cases, 10 had proceeded to arbitration.

"We opened the Shanghai center because the city is an economic hub and there is a rising number of disputes," Liu said.

According to Liu, centers like these have more flexibility than government agencies in handling disputes. The disputing parties can meet the mediator at any place they like. They can even discuss cases via tele-conference or emails. "It saves time for both parties," said Liu. "It becomes easier for people to tell the truth."

The traditional form of protest is to appeal to the trade union or residence committee, and then to the government labor dispute arbitration committee.

In the Beijing branch, 20 percent of the disputes come from the public while the remaining 80 percent from China Star's clients and employees.

"The Shanghai local human resource bureau advised that we accept dispute cases from our company's clients and employees first," said Liu. "But we will not refuse if other people call us for help."

All services provided by the center are free.

Feng Ping, Shanghai Luwan district human resource and social security bureau chief, said that the city had witnessed an increasing number of work-related disputes in recent years and China Star's mediation center would provide a speedy and convenient service for both employers and employees.

A staff member, surnamed Cai, of the labor arbitration department of the bureau, said the number of work related disputes was increasing rapidly, especially after the new arbitration law took effect in May 2008.

There were 1,070 such disputes in 2009, he said.