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SUNDAY, JULY 18, 1976
INCREASE IN TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP
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A TOTAL OF 358 TRADE UNIONS WITH A DECLARED MEMBERSHIP OF 372,000 WERE ON THE REGISTER AT THE END OF LAST FINANCIAL YEAR, ENDING ON MARCH 31.
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE REGISTRAR OF TRADE UNIONS, THE MEMBERSHIP FIGURE SHOWS AN INCREASE OF 44,520 OVER THE PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR.
DURING THE YEAR, 13 NEW UNIONS WERE REGISTERED AND FOUR WERE DE-REGISTERED.
OF THE 358 UNIONS, 301 ARE EMPLOYEES' UNIONS WITH A TOTAL MEMBERSHIP OF 361,000, 44 EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS WITH 4,800 MEMBERS, 12 MIXED ORGANISATIONS OF EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS WITH 5,900 MEMBERS AND ONE TRADE UNION FEDERATION COMPRISING FOUR REGISTERED EMPLOYEES' UNIONS.
THE NUMBER OF WOMEN MEMBERS CONTINUED TO GROW SIGNIFICANTLY AND AT THE END OF 1975, THE OVERALL TOTAL OF WOMEN UNIONISTS STOOD AT 76,821, COMPARED WITH THE 60,785 ON DECEMBER 31, 1974, AN INCREASE OF 16,036.
THE NUMBER OF WOMEN MEMBERS IN EMPLOYEES' UNIONS ROSE BY 16,035 TO 75,458 WHILE THOSE OF THE EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS AND MIXED ORGANISATIONS OF EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS NUMBERED 365 AND 998 RESPECTIVELY, THE FORMER SHOWING AN INCREASE OF FOUR AND THE LATTER A DECREASE OF THREE AS COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
DURING THE YEAR, 732 INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED AT THE DEPARTMENT WITH TRADE UNION OFFICIALS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. THE SUBJECTS DEALT WITH IN THESE INTERVIEWS WERE MAINLY ADVICE ON THE FORMATION OF NEW UNIONS, HARMONIZING THE RULES OF NEW UNIONS WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE TRADE UNIONS ORDINANCE, CLARIFICATION OF PROPOSED ALTERATIONS IN REGISTERED RULES AND CHANGE IN NAME OF EXISTING UNIONS, ELIGIBILITY OF UNION OFFICERS, DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS AND THE GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON LOCAL TRADE UNIONISM.
STAFF OF THE DEPARTMENT ALSO CARRIED OUT INSPECTIONS OF ACCOUNT BOOKS AND REGISTERS OF MEMBERS AT 88 UNION PREMISES TO ENSURE FUNDS WERE BEING CORRECTLY BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT AND TO GIVE ON-THE-SPOT PRACTICAL ADVICE, WHERE NECESSARY, TO REMEDY ANY ACCOUNTING OR ADMINISTRATIVE DEFECTS DISCOVERED.