A recent collective contract will give more than 100,000 workers in the software industry in Dalian, Liaoning province, a raise, lifting minimum salaries and other work-related benefits.

This is the first collective contract in the country's software industry.

The contract, signed on Tuesday by representatives from the Dalian software industry association and Dalian high-tech industrial zone federation of trade unions, would give workers a raise of at least 6 percent this year.

It also set baseline wages for 10 major jobs in the industry. For example, the minimum wage for a programmer would be 2,600 yuan ($410) a month, and for a project construction and management post, 3,050 yuan.

Workers' wages should increase in line with a company's profits and improvements in efficiency, according to the contract.

Workers who use computers for a long period of time would also be allowed to have breaks.

The contract would cover more than 500 software companies and 70 percent of the workers in Dalian's software industry.

"It wasn't easy to reach the agreement," said Luo Junsheng, a senior official with Dalian Federation of Trade Unions, who was also coordinator of the negotiation. Representatives for enterprises and workers spent nearly five hours discussing clauses in the contract.

Luo said most software companies in Dalian are private, and wage standards for the same positions may vary in different firms, leading to a high turnover of employees.

"Industrial collective wage negotiations not only discuss wage disparity among enterprises but also ensure equity of income distribution. It helps employers control costs more efficiently and allows workers to get due payment," he said.

Representatives of workers from the hat manufacturing industry in Nanjian village, Wenling city, Zhejiang province, sign in before collective wage negotiations on Monday. [Wang Dingchang / Xinhua]