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sible for processing workers' demands and negotiating with the public authorities. Success at this level would
enable unions to develop, from their own ranks, an effec- tive leadership. The overall aim would be to encourage the development of a central leadership capable of art- iculating and advancing workers' interests on a Colony-
wide basis.
The establishment of such machinery on a large scale in the public sector, and especially if it was seen to work,
would have considerable influence in other sectors. In the joint memorandum to you and your colleagues (quoted above), the Cotton Industry Workers' General Union of
Hong Kong and the Textile Workers' Asian Regional Organisation make the point clearly:
"The reason why collective bargaining is not a significant form of rule-making (in Hong Kong) is because most employers refuse to re- cognise trade unions or participate in the setting up of machinery for bargaining."
It is obvious that there is an urgent need for the gov- ernment to give a clear lead in this field, through the recognition of trade unions and the creation of negot-
iating machinery in the public sector that involves trade unions. In this respect every effort should be made to resist the establishment of works councils, joint councils or any other bodies which do not involve trade
unions. Far from acting as a bridge between the period when workers are not organised, and when trade unions emerge, they, in fact, retard the progress of trade unionism.
What has been said for the public sector may equally apply in the private sector. In the latter, however, a lot of background work is needed, since not only are employers more hostile to trade unions, but the union's ideological divisions are strongly embedded. It is none- theless important to try to bring together the various unions on a purely trade union basis a not impossible task. Informed observers have noted that in one instance recently, trade unions belonging to the Federation of Trade Unions and those belonging to the Hong Kong and
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Continued/...
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