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HONG KONG: PROPOSALS FOR AN EXAMINATION OF TRADE UNION/INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS PROBLEMS
1.
At the meeting on 23 April, Mr Mikardo criticised the restrictive character of Hong Kong trade union legislation and there
was also criticism of the absence of collective bargaining.
Mr Callaghan speculated on the possibility of setting up a mini- Donovan Commission to study and report on the trade union/industrial relations situation in the Colony. If there was any scope for such
an enquiry, the Secretary of State undertook to discuss it with the
TUC.
2.
mark.
To some degree, Mr Mikardo's criticisms seem wide of the Labour unrest in Hong Kong, despite the decline in real wages during the present recession, has been minimal and certainly a good deal less than in the United Kingdom. Furthermore he seems to have ignored the recently introduced Labour Relations Bill which provides for conciliation and voluntary arbitration procedures with a Board of Enquiry arrangement as an alternative to arbitration.
These are designed to cater for industrial disputes involving ad hoc groups of workers and cases in which unions are a direct party to the dispute. There is also provision for a cooling off period which has been agreed to by the Labour Advisory Board on which employers and workers are equally represented. Despite this careful preparation, however, there is reported to be some general disquiet among employers and workers alike. This, and the agitation of some left wing unions, has led the Unofficial Members of Executive and Legislative Councils (UMELCO) to request a suspension of the second reading.
3.
It is disquieting that this much needed measure of reform has attracted so much criticism and there seems to be some need for
a report from some independent source which could give an authoritative assessment on the state of industrial relations generally in Hong Kong.
4.
A public enquiry on Donovan lines could, in the present delicate situation, be extremely damaging to our relations with the Hong Kong Government and in the Hong Kong Government's relations with the population. In any case, there are strong political and practical /arguments
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