28 September 1977
wages and expressed serious concern at the absence of social security provisions. He said that there was no requirement to contribute to a pension scheme, no health insurance and no unemployment benefit and underlined that responsibility for this must rest with the British Government. He thought that British and American capital was avoiding its obligations in Hong Kong. He also thought that Hong Kong employers, who had a paternalistic attitude to their employees, were open to influence and that criticism by the British Trade Union Movement might be effective.
4. Mr Smith concluded his speech by addressing himself to the terms of the motion, calling for publication of Professor Turner's report in full and expressing the hope that both the TUC and the CBI would be allowed to take part in discussions on the report and on social developments in Hong Kong generally. He concluded by saying that his union would continue to raise the question of Hong Kong whenever an opportunity to do so arose. The motion was formally seconded and unanimously adopted.
5. I have given you this full description of Mr Smith's remarks for which I am indebted to the Deputy Overseas Labour Adviser who was present - for I thought you would wish to know the strength of feeling emanating from the NUTG. We cannot, of course, make a decision on publication of the report until we have read it but we are, as you know, committed to consulting the TUCA and the CBI on the report and this we shall arrange.
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JAB Stewart