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at this level would enable unions to develop, from their own ranks, an effective leadership, The overall aim would be to encourage the development of a central leadership capable of articulating end 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 Professor Turner and his team (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 recognise trade unions or participate in the setting up of machinery for bargaining."
It is obvious that there is an urgent need for the govern- ment to give a clear lead in this field, through the recog- nition of trade unions and the creation of negotiating 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, re- tard the progress of trade unionism.
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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 unions' ideological divisions are strongly embedded. It is nonetheless important to try to being 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 Kowloon Trades Union Council have been able to work together and negotiate with employers.
While changes in this sector may be slower, it should not be forgotten that in some countries similar situations have ended in trade unions opposed on an ideological basis work- ing together, sometimes on a limited scale, but in many cases on a wide range of matters.
Continued/...