EMPLOYMENT
41
Trades Union Council, are employed in the catering and building trades. The Trades Union Council is affiliated to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
There are 100 independent unions some of which continue to make improvements in their internal administration and in the services offered to their members.
The legal requirements regarding the registration and control of trade unions are specified in the Trade Unions Ordinance which is administered by the Registrar of Trade Unions.
Of the 340 unions on the register at the end of 1973, 284 were employees' unions with a total declared membership of 252,425, a further 44 were organisations of merchants or employers with a declared membership of 5,083, and 12 were mixed organisations with a total declared membership of 6,015. =
Labour Administration and Services
The Labour Department continued to expand during the year and now has a staff of 692. Plans were underway to extend the services of the department in the New Territories by expanding the branch office at Yuen Long to include units of the labour relations, the local employment service, and the factory inspectorate. The network of branch offices plays a significant role in dealing promptly with labour matters in outlying areas.
The Commissioner of Labour is the principal adviser to the government on labour matters. He is also the Commissioner of Mines.
Labour legislation is initiated in the Labour Department which also ensures that Hong Kong's obligations under international labour conventions are observed. The department is organised into six divisions: labour relations, industry, employ- ment, industrial health, industrial training, and development.
The labour relations division dealt with 4,584 disputes in 1973. Of these 107 were labour disputes, 862 major grievance disputes and 3,615 minor grievance dis- putes; compared to 119,821, and 3,584 respectively in 1972. There were 47 strikes and seven lockouts and the number of man-days lost in all disputes was 56,691, compared with 41,834 in 46 strikes in 1972. Most labour disputes were due mainly to problems arising from changes in piece rates, redundancy, dismissal and insolvency.
The Labour Tribunal Ordinance, enacted on March 29, 1972, came into operation on March 1, 1973. The tribunal, which is part of the Judiciary, provides a quick, simple and inexpensive method of settling certain monetary claims arising from con- tracts of employment, the provisions of the Employment Ordinance, and certain other ordinances. Claims are determined by a single, legally-qualified presiding officer assisted by a number of tribunal officers and supporting staff. The proceedings of the tribunal are conducted in an informal manner and generally in Cantonese.
During the period March 1 to December 31, 1973, the tribunal dealt with 878 cases involving employees as claimants and a further 30 cases in which the claims