19..
relations practice at departmental level and below.
Shortage of
personnel in the CSB also discourages long-term or long-range activities
characteristic of modern personnel practice, such as manpower planning
and staff audits.
The Staff Associations
As the figures below demonstrate, membership of staff associations has
grown dramatically.
'Year
1961
1966
-1971
1976
Nos of Staff Association Members in the Civil Service
(Source: Hong Kong Government CSB)
11,535
18,142
25,449
36,228
The logic of the situation would appear to necessitate an increasing
degree of staff representation-in bilateral machinery at all levels.
However, one paramount barrier to the development of effective.
consultative or negotiating units is the phenomenon of multi-unionism..
As of 31 December 1976, there were a total of 97 unions with members
in government employment of the unions or associations; 85 were specific
to the Civil Service. It is clearly.exceedingly difficult to devise
·
formal consultative or negotiating procedures which grants central
recognition in any form to this number of organisations.
The lack of balance in the situation is compounded by the fact that
some of the large grade and departmental associations, for example, the