:
Doar Mr. Johnson,
Thank you for your letter of Juno 2nd, to which I havo boon nskod to ́roply-
I note the prospect of remodial labour logislation. But the worst aspect of the prosent labour logialation is that it is largely diorogardod with impurity, of course to the advantage of the empleyors. Roccnt ovents particularly the rofusal of tho Govornor Sir David Tronch, to soo tho lcadors of peacefully protesting plastio workors, is doparturo 'on loavo' during disturbances and hio ludicrous statement when stopping off the plane at London that in the handling of the disturbances(solicit his rofusal to soo the striking workors who as a result stuck posters on his gatos and the handling by the polico of the subsoquant violont distrubansoc) "985 of thọ population are with us all the way", those ovonta strongly succost that tho rosted intorosts in gwonted labour are doing their best to provont the groat improvoment in labour conditions that offectively inforood labour logislation of modom typo would moon.
Now the Governor himself was Labour Officor horo Sŵr. a mudbor of yoars in the fiftios yot failed to conure the offootivo gonoral enforcomont of the clausos of the Labour Ordinanco rolating to hours of labour and employment of wome so if his 98,5 support is shown to be absurdly largo ono must assuno that ho is deliberatoly slanting the ovidonoo against tho strikers and in favour of tho, status quo. this point of oxagcoration I enoloco:-
On
(1) a number of cuttings about, actual disturbancos (all Subsoquent to his refusal to coo the striking plastic workers). (2) figuros. obtained from an oxporionood advertising agent
) of the paid airoulations of most loftist
and rightist papers (tho distinction is definito and tho for mor consistontly support both strikora and rioters). These show that about 1/3 of the total purchasors (235,000) buy
Since the rightint loftist papers and 2/3 rightist papors. papers hra moro reasonable and informative, the real pro- portion of loftists is probably higher than those figurop indicato. In any anso end howover discounted tho figuros indicato a largo anti-govornmont coction among the population. (3) Thirdly there are the trade union figures. According to the Government Labour Dopartmont'à own figuros thoro nro 92,000 loftist trade unionists in 89 trado unions "all of which support the Chinoco Pooplo's Ropublic" (Ammuni Report of 1966 P. 32). The romaining 75,000 are various shados of rightists, making a total of 1,670,000 trado unionista (Annual Roport of '66 P.34). This lattor total, in which tho loftists have a majority, is only 10.5% of tho total labour force of 1,592,000 *.24 ditto).
bviously Tronoh's statomont of 98% support is a deliberate microprocontation but more important then this is the ghostly Cangor to the Colony of further antagonising tho loftista by rofusing to reinstate those who struck on political grounde
impronity?
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