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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1978
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+THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASING CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE PART OF WORKERS OF THEIR LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS AND RIGHTS. THIS NEW PUBLIC AWARENESS AND INTEREST, ENGENDERED BY AN ADVERSITY, IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ANNALS OF HONG KONG'S LABOUR RELATIONS, + HE SAID.
THIS AWAKENING FROM APATHY TO ENTHUSIASM, TOGETHER WITH OTHER FACTORS, HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MAKE MANY DECISIVE STEPS TO STRENGTHEN LABOUR RELATIONS DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS, A PROCESS WHICH IS CONTINUING TODAY.+
MR. TSUI SAID THAT IN HONG KONG MOST LABOUR ISSUES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WERE CLEARED IN TWO WEEKS, OR AN EVEN SHORTER PERIOD. +OUR ECONOMY HAS NO PLACE FOR PROTRACTED, COSTLY TUSSLES BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.+
HIS ADDRESS COVERED THE BARGAINING PROCESS IN HONG KONG, THE DEVELOPMENT OF LABOUR RELATIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN SUCH RELATIONS - ALL IN RESPECT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
MR. TSUI SAID THIS SECTOR EMPLOYED 1.58 MILLION PEOPLE AND NOW COMPRISED MORE THAN 38,000 ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, 15,000 ESTABLISHMENTS IN COMMERCE AND 73,000 ESTABLISHMENTS IN VARIOUS SERVICES INCLUDING FINANCE AND BANKING.
AFTER DESCRIBING VARIOUS PATTERNS OF BARGAINING BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES, HE SAID THE NON-BARGAINING PROCESS WAS EQUALLY IMPORTANT IN HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY IN THE CLOTHING AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES. IN SUCH A SITUATION, THE EMPLOYER HAD TO BE CONSTANTLY ON THE ALERT FOR IMBALANCES BETWEEN THE EARNINGS OF HIS WORKERS AND THOSE IN ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE SAME INDUSTRY, AND MAKES NECESSARY WAGE ADJUSTMENTS AS SPEEDILY AS HE POSSIBLY COULD.
MR. TSUI SAID: +THIS IS BECAUSE IN A TIGHT LABOUR MARKET SUCH AS THE ONE WE HAVE HERE, AND WITH A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF FACTORIES OPERATING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ONE ANOTHER, A WORKER WHO IS NOT HAPPY WITH HIS PAY MAY SIMPLY WALK AWAY AND WORK IN ANOTHER ESTABLISHMENT WHICH OFFERS HIM MORE MONEY.+
+BUT WHETHER THE PROCESS IS ONE OF BARGAINING OR OF NON- BARGAINING,+ MR. TSUI ADDED, +WE ARE ALWAYS IMPRESSED BY THE FACT THAT IN MOST INSTANCES OF UNAVOIDABLE DISCORD, THE PARTIES TRY THEIR BEST TO RESTRAIN THEMSELVES, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY TRUE AMONG THE UNIONS IN RECENT YEARS.+
THE 'ENEMY' OR ANTAGONISTIC APPROACH, HE SAID, WHICH WAS A COMMON STRATEGY IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES, WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ABSENT FROM THE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF LOCAL EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES. INHERENT IN THE BOND BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES WAS A TRADITIONAL COMMON DESIRE FOR COMPROMISE AND RECONCILIATION.
/MR. TSUI.....