Aiffimchis
China?
فيما
CONFIDENTIAL
in Peking. It has 170,000 members rising in numbers and divided among 73 separate unions; it has also a further 19 associated unions.
(b) TUC (Trades Union Council) which looks towards
Taiwan for guidance and is affiliated to the Western ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Brussels). It has 40,000 members, and is declining in membership; this is distributed between 71 individual unions and 8 associates.
(c)
Independent unaffiliated group, mainly from the civil service and public sector, with no political allegiances and around a constant 50,000 members.
Overall, the rate of unionisation is relatively low at 16 per cent but new recruitment drives, particularly by the FTU are expected to increase this. Union behaviour has in the past decade been somewhat 'quiescent'; but in future the emphasis would appear to be on 'firm responsibility', although the TUC because of its Taiwan links could disturb this.
-
5. Generally both FTU and TUC operate industry wide and recruit across the board. In total there are therefore
There very many small unions - 380 in all (cf: 100 in UK). is also the CIC (Christian Industrial Council), a group of charitable idealists funded by the WCC (World Council of Churches) which aims to encourage traditional trade unionism and involves itself in many individual disputes (often to the annoyance of the others). It has used WCC auspices to encourage ILO to take a greater interest in Hong Kong's affairs.
6. The FTU is now undoubtedly the most influential trade union in Hong Kong. Its effective leader Mr Tam-Yui-Chung is young and eager for external contacts; he is a member of the Legislative Council and the local Basic Law Drafting Committee. He visited the UK in 1985 and efforts should be made to further encourage his contacts with Western influences. Whilst he undoubtedly takes his line from ACFTU, I would suggest that he is a future local trade union leader and opinion former well worth cultivating. All unions in Hong Kong appeared now to be eager for outward knowledge and efforts might be made to offer this by encouraging and stimulating international (ie Western) links.
7. The Trade Union Ordinance 1972 and its predecessors restricts trade union activities, particularly with regard to international links and local political activities. It might now be an opportune time to reform some of these statutes which are in
/essence
2
-
CONFIDENTIAL