46
EMPLOYMENT
the TUC, are employed in the catering and building trades. Although its number of sympathetic unions far exceeds that of the FTU, both the declared and estimated paid up membership figures are very much lower. The TUC is affiliated to the Inter- national Confederation of Free Trade Unions: although it plays no very active part in this organization, representatives of the TUC joined a seminar, held in Japan, to discuss methods of labour education.
Independent unions are few and mostly small in membership. Although several of them seem undecided as to where their interests should lie, others have continued to make encouraging improvements in their internal administration and in the services offered to their members. A substantial increase was recorded in the memberships of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Cattle Trade Workers General Union, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Candle, Paper and Paper-work Workers Union and the western-style Catering Trade Workers Union. Each of these unions has probably attracted additional members by demonstrating the ability to negotiate effectively in a responsible way.
The successful series of classes organized by the Labour Depart- ment for officers of the trade union movement was continued throughout 1961. Classes on trade union administration were held in April, with four simple booklets published by the department serving as textbooks. Forty representatives from 14 unions attended. A five-day course in trade union leadership, held in September, attracted 24 officials and a further series of classes in trade union accounting was organized in co-operation with the Hong Kong Technical College.
Two booklets entitled 'Duties of Members' and 'Voting by Mem- bers of Trade Unions' were issued by the department in English and Chinese, as the last in a series of four. A leaflet in Chinese on methods of making unions effective was printed and distributed to all trade unions and revised editions of two previously published pamphlets were issued.
Labour disputes. Demands for increased wages, which had been made so forcefully the previous year and formed the subject of many disputes, had been largely satisfied by 1961 and there was comparatively little industrial unrest throughout the year. During