Cypher
CONFIDENTIAL
OUTWARD TELEGRAM
FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
(The Secretary of State)
TO HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Sent 20th January, 1967. 23.00 hrs.
CAMION
5
PRIORITY
CONFIDENTIAL
No. 134.
Following telegram of 19th January from Washington to Foreign Office addressed to Hong Kong No. 8.
Begins.
Following for Jeaffreson from Jackson.
Blackman (Department of Labour) has advised me that there
is a build-up of anti Hong Kong sentiment in the trade unions in this country. This ties up with Sum's recent letter to me.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jager of the Research Department in the headquarters of the AFL/CIO was trying to secure information regarding the labour situation in Hong Kong. Could we assist?
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At his suggestion I have spoken to Mrs. Jager. She confirms that there is indeed a good deal of anti Hong Kong sentiment and alsc it seems, a good deal of misinformation (for example, it is reportedly being said that there is no Labour Attaché in the U.S. Consulate-General in Hong Kong because the British Government would not allow it). Mrs. Jager, who is in favour of liberal trade, and fears the possible consequences in Congress if these pressures are not countered, tells me she needs "hard facts" regarding the Hong Kong Labour situation in order to counter them.
3. She is interested in labour standards, social legislation (including whether such legislation is or is not enforced), conditions of work, nature of main industries in Hong Kong (she realises that there are a lot of industries beside textiles and that there are subsidiaries of American companies, she is also interested to know what subsidiaries there are of companies from other countries). There have also been statements that there are no non-communist unions in Hong Kong and counter statements that there are (repeat are) non-communist unions. Again she needs facts.
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40 I told her that the Colony did of course have a Labour Department. She would be interested in knowing just what the department did. She has some sort of meeting on 1st February (I gathered with people also concerned about these political pressures) and urgently needs information on these points before then. She would also like to have some idea of the comparative wage rates in different industries in Hong Kong and the relation between Hong Kong and other Far Eastern countries. I am letting her have a copy of the pamphlet on the textile industry. She would be also interested in information on soft goods, footwear and electronic items.
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