Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will hold talks with China's trade union on Wednesday as the two sides grapple over a push to establish unions at the retailing giant's spreading Chinese stores, state media reported.

Guo Wencai, director of the grassroots organization department of the Federation of Trade Unions, said the two sides would meet to negotiate but gave no details, according to a report on the Web site of the Xinhua news agency.

Consumers crowd the newly opened Wal-Mart store in Shanghai, July 28, 2005. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will hold talks with China's trade union on Wednesday as the two sides grapple over a push to establish unions at the retailing giant's spreading Chinese stores, state media reported. [Reuters]

The U.S. retailer rejects unions in any of its worldwide operations, while China is determined to introduce trade unions in all local Wal-Mart stores, Guo said last week.

Two weeks ago, China's official labor organization established a union at a Wal-Mart store in eastern China's Fujian province.

Since then, unions have formed at two other Chinese Wal-Mart stores -- in Shenzhen in far southern China, and in Nanjing, capital of eastern China's Jiangsu province - the Federation said on its website (www.acftu.org).

The Federation told Wal-Mart not to interfere in the 31-member strong Nanjing union.

"If Wal-Mart union members are subjected to unfair treatment at work, unions at the national, provincial, city and district level will strive all out to protect employees' legitimate rights," said the announcement.

Wal-Mart representatives declined to comment on the possible negotiations, according to the Wednesday report. In the past, Wal-Mart has said it listens to the needs of its Chinese workers and does not need the official trade union to step in.