EMPLOYMENT
23
The Labour Relations Division of the Labour Department dealt with 2,792 disputes, of which 331 involved large wage claims. This compared with 3,085 last year. There were a further 2,332 minor disputes compared with 2,572 in the previous year. Altogether there were 46 strikes and the number of man-days lost in all disputes was 47,243 compared with 39,911 in 1969. Major disputes in the year were due mainly to disagreement over piece rates (particularly in the woollen knitting and wig industries), redundancy, dismissal and insolvency.
The service was expanded during the year, with the operation of five full-time offices, on Hong Kong Island, and in Kowloon (East), Kowloon (West), Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan. Progress has been made in the proposal to establish a Labour Court which will be presided over by an officer of the Judiciary. When established this court will settle expeditiously employees' claims of legal and contractual rights.
By the end of the year the Labour Department had recorded a total of 58 formal joint consultative councils and committees set up by 27 establishments. Most of these were working smoothly and achieving the object of bringing management and employees together to improve relationships and allow each to benefit from the experience of the other. Similar committees established in certain government departments discussed a wide range of adminis- trative, welfare and organisational problems. In a survey launched in February 1970, 1,865 industrial, commercial and service employ- ers were asked to indicate their interest in this form of communica- tion with their employees. A total of 253 replied that they had already introduced some form of joint consultation and 331 declared interest and requested a visit by an officer of the Labour Relations Service. A total of 220 visits were made during the year to em- ployers who had responded positively to the survey.
In the course of the visits made by the Labour Adviser (Industrial Relations) and officers engaged in industrial relations work, it was found that, while some establishments had written terms of employment contained in booklets issued to workers setting out precise details of their conditions of service, many employers were in need of advice on how such booklets should be prepared. A booklet entitled 'Why you should have an employee