Year ending
1969
- 12
No. of registered
employee associations
257
1970
272
1971
276
1972
280
1973
283
1974
293
1975
302
The average size of trade union, though it has increased since 1970,
-
remains very small at 1200 in nominal terms and less than 1000 in paid-
up membership. The full report of the Registrar for 1975 was not
available at the time of our enquiries, but from his detailed record we
found only 19 unions with more than 4000 claimed members and only 6 with
10,000 or more. In his 1974 report, 160 unions, more than half of those
registered, claimed a membership of 250 or less.
18.
?
In type, moreover, unions remain generally restricted in their
jurisdictional coverage. A few of the larger unions, notably such bigger
associates of the F.T.U. as the seamen's, motor transport, and textile
But there are many unions, are in principle of an 'industrial' type.
smaller associations confined to particular occupational or local groups
and minor trades within larger economic sectors. This fragmentation has
clearly been encouraged in the past by the law relating to union registrát-
ion, but one doubts that to be the only factor. Despite a more liberal
attitude in this respect on the administration's part, there has been only
one successful combination of unions in a closer grouping
G
and that of
4 very small printers' societies with a combined membership below 200.
There is still despite the alleged mobility of much of the Hong Kong
labour force - no union of a "general" type. By and large, the biggest
....!