The union effectively safeguards the interests of female employees and organizes the distribution of Sister Shu products.

Earlier this year, in order to further strengthen the protection of the legitimate and special rights and interests of female workers, the State Council Premier Wen Jiabao signed and officially promulgated the "Special Provisions on Labor Protection for Female Workers"—a special regulation aimed at providing enhanced protection for female employees.

The “Special Provisions on Labor Protection for Female Employees” further enhances protection measures for female employees, including four-phase protection (menstrual period, pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation), gynecological health checkups, and benefits related to maternity care. As early as 1988, the State Council issued the “Regulations on Labor Protection for Female Employees,” which laid down detailed provisions on the “special rights and protections for women.” These regulations require that the legitimate rights and special interests of female employees be effectively safeguarded, and that special collective contracts aimed at protecting female employees’ rights be implemented effectively. In particular, the four-phase protection measures for female employees must be clearly specified. Moreover, provinces and cities are required to appropriately increase hygiene allowances for female employees based on their economic conditions and ensure the proper distribution of specialized hygiene supplies designed specifically for female employees.

With the widespread signing of special collective contracts for female employees, the specific interests of female workers have gradually been put into practice. By the end of 2010, 30 provinces across the country had signed special collective contracts for female employees, achieving a coverage rate of 80% to 90%. These contracts cover nearly 60 million female workers, effectively safeguarding their legitimate rights and special interests. However, some enterprises and employers still fail to implement these contracts effectively, reducing them to mere formalities and thus failing to provide genuine protection for the special rights of female employees. Therefore, all enterprises that have established trade union organizations for female employees should sign special contracts specifically aimed at protecting the rights and interests of female workers. Alternatively, such special contracts can be appended to the collective contract or incorporated as a dedicated chapter within the collective contract. Trade unions in small- and medium-sized non-public enterprises should, based on their specific circumstances, either sign such special collective contracts independently or participate in the signing of regionally or industrially focused special collective contracts for the protection of female workers' rights and interests.

The standards for issuing special hygiene allowances to female employees during their menstrual periods have consistently been formulated by each province and city according to the "Special Provisions on Labor Protection for Female Employees." From the earliest practice of providing sanitary paper to more recent practices of distributing sanitary pads and medicated sanitary napkins, these standards have remained in effect until today. Currently, in China’s textile and footwear enterprises—where female workers are concentrated—dust levels and concentrations of toxic and harmful gases often exceed permissible limits. Moreover, many new materials and substances used in production have become potential threats to the health of female workers, exposing them to prolonged exposure in hazardous environments. In recent years, there has been an increasing incidence of miscarriages, fetal malformations, and lifelong infertility among female employees, particularly with a rising trend in the prevalence of gynecological diseases among them. Simple protective measures alone can no longer adequately safeguard female workers against these risks. The “Jie Mei Shu” silver-ion gynecological medical pad, developed and produced by Shaanxi Wan’an Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a demonstration enterprise for science and technology in Shaanxi Province, has undergone nearly a decade of practical use and has proven highly effective in preventing and treating common gynecological ailments as well as in daily health maintenance and care for women. It has won widespread acclaim among female workers and has become a concrete, refined manifestation of protective measures designed to address the specific challenges faced by female employees due to their physiological characteristics in the workplace.

“Zi Mei Shu” silver-ion gynecological medical pads are external patches made using hydrolyzed silver ions combined with a traditional Chinese medicine formula. They are manufactured using the world’s most advanced silver-ion coating technology and have been approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration, making them currently the only “special product for hygienic protection of female employees” approved in China.

Silver has been used in the fields of medicine and public health for over 600 years. Silver possesses a variety of beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, moisture-removing, and water-purifying effects. Modern medicine has confirmed that silver can kill all harmful microorganisms—such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, mycoplasmas, chlamydia, and protozoa—and is widely employed in medicine to treat infections and promote wound healing. The use of silver represents one of the remarkable achievements of modern medicine. Currently, more than ten silver-containing products have been approved by the FDA for marketing in the United States, including silver-ion dressings and silver-ion medicinal pads.

The “Zimei Shu” medicinal pad contains phytoactive extracts from 38 kinds of Chinese herbs, maximally extracted through advanced high-tech methods. As a result, “Zimei Shu” not only boasts the highly effective antibacterial action of silver ions but also exhibits insecticidal and anti-itch properties, clears heat and detoxifies, astringes and stops vaginal discharge, removes necrotic tissue and promotes tissue regeneration, activates blood circulation and resolves stasis, relieves adhesions, nourishes yin, tonifies yin, protects yin, and regulates endocrine function. Therefore, “Zimei Shu” is often used for the prevention of vulvitis as well as for the adjunctive treatment of conditions such as vulvar leukoplakia, vaginitis, cervicitis, dysmenorrhea, and menstrual irregularities. It offers a triple-action benefit—antibacterial, tissue-repairing, and endocrine-regulating.

“Zi Mei Shu” is a specialized sanitary product designed and manufactured specifically to address the unique physiological characteristics of women, integrating both prevention and treatment functions. It plays an effective role in providing preventive and therapeutic care throughout the four stages of female health protection. In recent years, the increasingly prominent role played by female employees across various industries has prompted employers to place greater emphasis on addressing the challenges faced by female workers due to their physiological characteristics and ensuring proper sanitary protection during the four stages of their menstrual cycle. As a result, “Zi Mei Shu” silver-ion gynecological medical pads have been regularly distributed as dedicated sanitary protection supplies. For instance, organizations such as the Xi'an Railway Bureau, Liugang Group, Yulin Electromechanical Group, Sinochem Jilin Changshan Company, China Gold Group Jiapigou Company, Jiangxi Dongjin Power Generation Company, Inner Mongolia Xing’an League Mobile Company, Sichuan Beichuan Power Supply Company, Mianyang Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park, Yijin Horo Banner Federation of Trade Unions, Kunming Phosphate Chemical Group, and 158 other state organs, enterprises, public institutions, social groups, individual economic organizations, and other social organizations from 18 provinces and autonomous regions nationwide have already begun exclusively distributing “Zi Mei Shu” sanitary protection supplies to their female employees, earning widespread praise from female workers.

Some female cadres leading local trade unions said, “‘Jie Shi Shu’ is an excellent product widely used by our female employees. Women’s organizations should encourage enterprises, institutions, and employers that are able to do so to provide this product to female employees on a long-term basis, as a powerful measure to care for female employees and help prevent and reduce the incidence of gynecological diseases as well as the two major cancers—cervical cancer and breast cancer.”

Female employees who have used “Zi Mei Shu” sincerely remarked: “‘Zi Mei Shu’ is high-tech, highly effective, easy to use, and comfortable and refreshing—it’s a great ally for fourth-phase protection. The union’s distribution of ‘Zi Mei Shu’ demonstrates the union’s thoughtful care and concern for us female employees. We can only repay the nation and society by working even harder!”

In fact, the health of female employees not only boosts the efficiency of enterprises and institutions but also plays a crucial role in ensuring the healthy growth of the next generation, promoting social harmony, and strengthening the nation. Currently, many employers are actively implementing the "Special Provisions for the Protection of Female Employees' Labor," putting into practice the four-phase protection measures. They are also collaborating with manufacturers of “Zi Mei Shu” products and providing female employees with training on occupational safety and health knowledge in accordance with the requirements of the “Special Provisions for the Protection of Female Employees' Labor,” while ensuring the proper distribution of “Zi Mei Shu.” A pattern has emerged in which trade unions actively assist, serve, and supervise employers, thereby effectively putting into practice the principle of “providing face-to-face, heartfelt, and practical services to employees at the grassroots level.”

We must further enhance awareness and unify our thinking in accordance with the “Special Provisions for Labor Protection of Female Employees.” We must insist that wherever there are female employees, there should be a trade union committee for female employees—and such committees must genuinely address the practical needs and well-being of female workers. In industries and enterprises with large numbers of female employees and serious occupational disease risks, we should regularly conduct screenings for occupational diseases, gynecological conditions, and the “two cancers.” We must also ensure comprehensive protection during the four critical stages of a woman’s life cycle and properly distribute specialized hygiene supplies. We need to take appropriate measures to safeguard the special interests of female employees, enabling grassroots female workers to learn how to use laws and regulations to protect their legitimate rights and interests. Moreover, we must effectively carry out the publicity and popularization of the “Special Provisions for Labor Protection of Female Employees.”

Editor-in-charge: Zhang Ligang