Mr Camuciva Mi Laind
Mr. Kinnear.
HKD
CONFIDENTIAL
Reference...
36
Visit of Father McGovern.
A Roman Catholic priest from Hong Kong, Father McGovern, visited the OLA on 10 November to raise two points.
2.
The first concerned the anti-union attitude of a Labour Contractor, Mr. Chan, working for British contractors, including Dorman Long and Costains, on the new Harbour Tunnel project. Mr. Chan is said to have been unreasonable in the number of dismissals, 200 workers in six months, and to have dismissed organisers and members of the trade union subsequently formed to safeguard his workers. The conciliation services of the Hong Kong Ministry have not been successful in securing reinstatement.
3. Secondly, Father McGovern raised the refusal of MPBW to negotiate with trade unions, though he conceded that consultation does take place.
4. The declared purpose of Father McGovern's visit was to express his concern that the involvement of MPBW and British engineering concerns in these matters was giving the UK Government a "bad public image" and creating the impression that it shared the Hong Kong Government's attitude which he described as "anti-union" If there was further political unrest, Communist trade unions would seek to capitalise on this impression and the existence of widely felt grievances to secure a greater degree of support from the workers than it achieved in the 1967 troubles.
5. Father McGovern hoped by his visit to obtain some intervention in the nature of an approach to the Hong Kong Government or Costain's London office. No assurances were given to him on this point. You may wish to advise the Hong Kong Government, however, of this visit.
PR.
(H.R.G. Hurst)
DOLA.
11 November 1970.
CONFIDENTIAL