- 14
It is true that fragmentation is, if not quite as characteristic of
ces it is
Hong Kong employers' associations of trade unions, very nearly so: there are
currently 44 bodies registered as such, and several of them operate in
the same trades (there are, for instance, three separate organisations
C
of plastic manufacturers their difference, I gather, being mainly
Chinese
connected with varying regional origin of/ownerships). Even where
employers are grouped in a cohesive way, as in the case of the Spinners'
Association (though not necessarily as employers' associations, even
though labour policy may be one of their functions) there is usually an
evident hostility to making agreements as a group. It is notable that
the Hong Kong Employers' Federation regarded a recent agreement, in which
it had been instrumental, between all the stevedoring concerns (except the
Peking_owned ones) with both Left and Right unions as quite exceptional.
20.21
A number of individual concerns, especially the major utilities,
do claim to have regular negotiations (usually annual) with union
representatives on the revision of wage-rates, etc., but so far as we
could discover these were generally of the most ritual or nominal
character. The typical process, as it was described to us on several
occasions, was one in which the management informed the union with which
it dealt (usually the Right-wing one few managements "recognise" Left-
wing unions) of its proposed alterations for the next year, listened
to objections if any were made, and then announced its decisions with
little if any amendment. The most elaborate of these processes, as it was
described to us by the firm, in effect involved a management decision as to
the forthcoming year's wage-revisions: it would then post a notice
proposing a lower offer in the works; the union would make some counter-
demands, whereupon the management announced an improvement on its first
offer which in fact implemented its initial, and private decision.