ancial Times Friday September 25 1970
Other Overseas News
Uttar
Pradesh coalition may fall
By Our Own Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Sept. 24. THE FALL of the coalition Government in Uttar Pradesh, India's most pópulous and politically important state to which Premier indira Gandhi belongs, became imminent to- lay when Chief Minister Charan Singh asked ministers belonging
·0 Gandhi's Congress Party o Pesign.
Ma Singh himself belongs to h Bharatiya Kranti Dal Indian Revolutionary Party)
Milj.
"
Hong Kong tightens up union legislation
BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
THE Hong Kong Government has drafted new trade union legisla- tion which threatens to sour industrial relations in the colony. The most controversial clauses in the new Bill seriously reduce the right of strikers to form effective picket lines.
Employees will be forbidden to picket a person's private resi-
dence. Some officials are already complaining privately this could cause trouble as frequently the smaller employer lives in the same building as his factory or workshop.
Even more unpopular is the creation of a new offence making it illegal for strikers to block or cause any obstruction on a road
or street.
If this provision is enacted and vigorously enforced, picket lines outside a factory will be virtually banned altogether.
Significantly several senior officials feel uncomfortable about these proposals. They feel the existing Public Order Ordinance
already gives the police such sweeping powers to deal with all forms of pulic gatherings, and any hint of intimidation that changes in the trade union law are unjustified. The workers are also beginning to show signs of restlessness about the measure.
Bosses' side
The present laws governing strikes and labour unions have been strongly attacked recently as far 100 restrictive. The workers also feel the police always end up supporting the management in a strike. They bitterly resent the current situa tion in which the employee sees the Administration firmly on the bosses' side.
Hong Kong is relatively free from serious strikes. With a working population of around 14m. only 40,000-man-days were lost through industrial disputes last year. Over the last decade the number of disputes has fluc-
1
HONG KONG, Sept. 24.
tuated but has shown no overall tendency to rise. Chinese workers prefer to settle grievances with as little fuss as possible. This means when a strike takes place tempers on both sides are already running very high.
The effect of the new Bill will probably be the adoption of Com- munist tactics by the work force. Several instances have occurred of employees trying to force the management's hand by camping This out on the factory floor. strategy makes it almost im- possible for the police to inter- fere and also prevents the use of strike-breakers.
However, it also creates the
danger of angry workers damag- ing equipment.
Ugandan groups to dismiss many Kenyans
By Our Own Correspondent
KAMPALA, Sept 94 SEVERAL