IN CONFIDENCE
w/12
23 November 1973
314.
Mr N Valticos
International Labour Standards Department International Labour Office
Geneva
I should once again be grateful for your help with the interpretation of the requirements of an International Labour Convention. In this case my enquiry concerns Convention No. 98 and legislation which is under consideration in Hong Kong. We attach considerable importance to the application of Convention No. 98 in that territory but would not like to go forward with legislation that might afterwards be the subject of different interpretations.
295?
I am attaching a copy of the draft Bill ́now under consideration and would enquire whether, with this modification, the legislation would be accepted as complying with the full provisions of Convention No. 98, in particular paragraphs 2(a) and 2(b) of Article 1?
Enc
¿
G Foggon
PS.
As regards Article 4 of the Convention, the Hong Kong Government encourages the development and utilisation of machinery for voluntary negotiations between employers and workers but in practice there is little collective bargaining. Not only is only some 11% of the workforce unionised, but the movement is fragmented and divided into opposing political blocs. My appreciation is, however, that Article 4 could be said to be applied.