EMPLOYMENT
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employees. In many instances advice was sought of the Labour Department. In the dockyard a declaration was made jointly by the management and an independent craft union for the introduc- tion of consolidated and improved terms of employment.
The shortage of labour resulted in wage demands being made by and granted to employees in the traditional sector of the economy. Employees in the tailoring and dress-making industry, copper- smiths, employees in barber shops, camphor-wood trunk, rattan- ware, blackwood furniture, ivory carving and mahjong tile making establishments benefited. In most cases the increases agreed by the employers' organisation and the workers' union concerned were between 20 per cent and 25 per cent. Overall average wages in the building trades also rose very considerably. Wages in other sectors have continued to rise.
The legal requirements regarding the registration and control of trade unions are set out in the Trade Union Registration Ordinance and administered by the Registry of Trade Unions.
The 320 unions on the register at the end of 1969 consisted of 254 workers' unions with a total declared membership of 170,018, 53 organisations of merchants or employers with a declared membership of 5,413 and 13 mixed organisations with a total declared membership of 6,929.
SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE
The Industrial Health Division of the Labour Department acts as an advisory service to government and industry on matters relating to the health of workers. The work of the division is pri- marily concerned with preventing occupational disease and protect- ing workers against health hazards in their working environment. Hazards to the health of workers are reported by the statutory notification of occupational diseases, by the factory inspectorate, or by officers of the division. Control is achieved by environmental and 'biological monitoring and the division has a laboratory with technicians trained in industrial hygiene. A survey of medical facilities in industry is being conducted with the help of the Industry Division.
The measurement of concentrations in the air of, amongst many, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, solvents, silica dust and