within a few days over 11,000 skilled men employed in these concerns had ceased work. With a few exceptions the employees of the Public Utility companies did not take part in the strike. Even after the strike had begun negotiations between the Institute and the Dockyard managements (including the Royal Naval Dockyard) continued for some time in the Labour Office but were finally broken off by the Institute. After an interval the two sides resumed conversations and eventually a final meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Commissioner of Labour at which a compromise agreement was attained. By this agreement skilled workmen represented by the Institute obtained an increase of 50% in basic wages, which were raised from between $2 and $3.20 to between $3 and $4.80 per 8-hour day. This increase subsequently entailed a readjust- ment in wages of workers above and below the artisan level of approximately 20-30%. It should be stressed that all increases were in basic wages and exclusive of the rehabilitation allowances which continued to be paid in accordance with the accepted scale. The strike lasted for 27 days and it is estimated that 236,440 man-days were lost.
In the same month (August) negotiations were in progress at the Labour Office between the managements and the employees of the eight taxi companies of the Colony. These were initiated by the Motor Drivers' Union, which was seeking, on behalf of its members, a unified and improved scale of wages and improvements in hours and other working conditions. After a number of meetings an increase of $1.00 per day was agreed raising the overall wage from $5 to $6 per day. Other features of the agreement were a 48-hour week, 18 paid holidays per annum, free sick treatment, compensation for injuries and other benefits.
In September further repercussions of the mechanics' strike were experienced in that the industrial unions of several utility companies that had not been involved in the strike came forward with similar demands for wage increases, though in this instance the blanket demand was for 100% and not 150%. After a number of joint and individual meetings, some of which were held in the Labour Office,
Labour Office, agreements were reached on approximately the same terms as in the case of the dockyards. The companies concerned in these negotiations were the Hong Kong Electric Co., the Hong Kong Tramway Co., the China Light and Power Co., the Hong Kong and China Gas Co., the Hong Kong Telephone Co., the China Motor Bus Co., the Kowloon Motor Bus Co., the Star Ferry Co., and the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Co.
In November the employees in the market and syndicate offices of the Fisheries Wholesale Marketing Organisation submitted, through their representatives, a request for additional rehabilitation allowance, on the ground that they were receiving only half the amount paid to Government employees. was a distortion of the facts since half the allowance had already, with their consent, been incorporated in their basic wage, the difference between this amount and the current rehabilitation
This
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