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1946 there occurred a series of disputes, which affected most of the docks and public utility companies. In February a sit- down strike occurred in one of the big commercial dockyards (the Taikoo Dock), and was followed shortly afterwards by a similar strike in the Royal Naval Yard. In neither case was prior notice of the intention to strike given but the actual stoppage of work was in each case of short duration, work being resumed on the initiation by the Labour Office of joint negotiations. The causes of dissatisfaction on both occasions were minor inequalities in pay and conditions of service in those yards as compared with other yards operating in the Colony. The disputes were settled on the basis of equating working conditions in all the dockyards. A short strike in the Gas Company, which followed, was settled after the management had agreed to pay all salaries and allowances on a monthly basis and had made ex gratia payments to two temporary employees who had been dismissed on grounds considered inadequate by their fellow workers.
The re- introduction of piece-work payment for some of the employees, who had for some months been engaged on a time basis, led to a strike in the Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock, but a settlement was quickly reached. In May, the cost of living, which had been steadily rising, reached its highest point. This was undoubtedly the underlying cause of two rather serious strikes in the Hong Kong Electric Co. and the China Light and Power Co. which led to the formulation of a common standard of wages and working conditions in these companies. This standard was also applied to the Hong Kong Tramways, the Hong Kong Telephone Co. and the Gas Co. In the case of the strike in the China Light & Power Co., which operates on the Kowloon mainland, there were, for the first time, a few instances of suspected sabotage and intimidation.
In all these disputes the conciliation machinery available through the Labour Office had been sufficient, in conjunction with joint discussions between workers and managements, to effect settlements. But in the case of disputes which occurred in the two cross-harbour ferry companies strikes were called by the men while negotiations were still in progress. These strikes caused great inconvenience to the general public and it became necessary to make use of Royal Naval personnel for a short period to maintain a skeleton ferry service across the harbour. The deadlock was eventually broken and work was resumed on agreement between both parties to refer the matter to arbitration. An ad hoc Arbitration Board, to which nominees of both parties and of the Government were appointed, was set up under the chairmanship of a judge of the Supreme Court. The award, which was accepted, only slightly increased basic wages, but raised the total remunera- tion by the institution of a special "passenger-carrying" allowance. A short strike by the printers of vernacular