141
JAD.
KOWLOON DISTURBANCES
APRIL/WAY, 1967.
The origin of the disturbances waa strictly industrial in character and datos back to a labour dispute,which arose during the week ending 6th May, in two factories (one in Hong Kong and one in Kowloon) belonging to an artificial flower Emory. The dispute arose as the result of the introcosfinn by the management, during April, of revised shift arrangements and new method of calculating wages in the injection moulding departments of the two factories in question. The total mumber of workers affected was 264 in the Hong Kong factory and 394 in the Kowloon factory. Discussions are understood to have taken place between the management and the workers' represent tivos but no agreement was reached. The precise issues discussed are not known. The following
is a diary of events.
29th April
The existence of the dispute was first notified to the Labour Department by the management. The manager then reported that owing to the obstructive attitude of the workers he had closed the moulding department of the Kowloon factory and had dismissed all the workers on the 28th April. The closure of the moulding department in the Hong Kong factory appeared imainent to the management who also reported that workers' representatives had failed to attend a meeting arranged for
a discussion of the issues in dispute.
1st May
plso
The management reported to the Labour Department that all moulding workers had boun digelased on the 20th April and indicated that they were opposed to any intervention by the Labour Department to arrange joint discussions.
3rd May
The Labour Department made daily attempts to make contact with the Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour and Plastic Workers' Union (Left-wing) but these approaches were avoided by the Union until the 6th May when the Chairman declined Labour Department assistance and indicated that direct talks at the factory were all that was required. Concurrent approaches to the management met with a similar response. The management made arrangements to pay off all the dismissed workers: about 20 Hong Kong workers and 170 Kowloon workers, believed to be left-wing or sympŋthetic did not accept payment.
/6th May