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gratification, in which workers are asked to temper their revolutionary fervor in deference to the policy commitments and requirements of the Peking government, whose immediate goals do not always coincide neatly with Hong Kong workers' needs.
During my stay in Hong Kong* a group of women wig workers walked off their jobs for higher wages and were determined to see their demands met. As the strike dragged on, the Federation of Trade Unions counseled compromise, but the women would have none of it. Nor would they be put off by calls to a greater patriotism. They wanted theirs on the spot, and while the wig industry very soon shut down due to a collapse in the international market, the incident does show how the Federation of Trade Unions sometimes ends up with egg on its face in attempting to adapt the Maoist line to local Hong Kong conditions.
I believe, however, that the Federation's control over its constituent unions tends to be somewhat tighter than in the above case, although it is virtually impossible to ascertain just how much so. It is probable that when an affiliated union decides to make a wage demand, it must be cleared with the Federation; which means the demand is evaluated not only in terms of the workers' immediate needs, such as coping with a rising cost of living, but also in terms of the effects any increase might have on the political situation vis-à-vis the British and vis-à-vis the Peking government and its relations with the British. In the art carved furniture industry these effects are not likely to be as great as they might be in textiles, plastics or electronics which are the mainstays of Hong Kong's prosperity, or in public utilities; but still, all in all, one gets the impression that unions like the Woodwork Carvers' Union must toe the line in their plans for industrial action.
This is not to say that the union is totally paralyzed by or gets no benefit from its affiliation with the Federation. It is a willing partner. During strikes, the Federation comes to the union's aid with strike pay, food, meeting space and resources, the likes of which a small union like the Woodwork Carvers' Union could probably never muster on its own. In addition, the Federation encourages a unity and camaraderie with workers in other affiliated unions that promotes class consciousness among the workers and
* A reference to Dr. Cooper's post-graduate work here in 1972-73.
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