9.
xiii
gone pretty well in favour of the employers. Third, the right-wing
unions are weak and unrepresentative: in the past they have often
been corrupt.
Fourth, as long as economic growth is sustained, individualism
will continue to be more rational than defensive/aggressive combina-
tions of workers which depend on strong solidarity and low mobility
for success in struggles with employers. Fifth, a population made
up of first and second generation refugees, with increasingly
limited possibilities of international migration, is likely to feel
vulnerable in the face of clear opposition by employers to collec-
tive organization of workers. HK is the last stop for many of them
and they just don't want to rock the boat. Sixth, the heterogeneity
of HK's industry and the relative volatility of its demand for
labour is not conducive to the growth of unions, which have thrived
elsewhere on large single industry concentrations and monopsonistic
employment conditions. Finally, profileration of 'unions' at both
firm and industry levels has institutionalized competition between
rival organizations, a factor strengthened by government's resist-
ance to amalgamation and federation. This has weakened the
development of a union movement for which in any case there seems
to be very limited popular support.
The part played by combinations of employers in regulating the
labour market:
If labour has virtually no collective role to play in the
labour market, the same could not be said for employers. The
general functions of employers associations we covered in our
notes; here we are concerned only with their effect on the labour
market. The information flows promoted by these organizations
have been discussed in section 2; we are now in a position to assess
the evidence for collusion between employers to regulate rates.
That collusion is normal is supported by numerous references in
the notes. Few employers readily admit to it and, as there are
no formal collective agreements either at firm or industry
levels, informal co-ordination of wages policy can easily be
passed off as "an exchange of information which in no way affects
the autonomy of individual firms". There have been and are some
determined efforts to maintain a united front on wages: the large
American electronics firms tried and failed; the British dominated