CO129-603-4 Industrial relations- necessity for introducing arbitration procedures 16-10-1946 - 20-12-1946 — Page 12

CONFIDENTIAL.

Sir,

RECEIVED

26 OCT 1946

C. O. RECY

Government House,

Hong Kong,

16th October, 1946.

WEEB/16.

12

I have the honour to address you on the subject of the settlement

of Labour disputes by recourse to arbitration and in this connection to forward

a report on the strike of the employees of the Star Ferry Company, Ltd., and

the Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Company, Ltd. which lasted from the 23rd July to

21st August, 1946, and was brought to an end after the matters in dispute had

been adjudicated upon by a Board of Arbitration.

2.

This strike is the most recent in a series of strikes involving

public utilities which have taken place since the beginning of the year and

since the two ferry companies maintain a service between the Island of Hong

Kong and the largely residential suburb of Kowloon on the mainland it caused

much inconvenience to the public.

3.

The dispute first came to the attention of the Labour Department

towards the end of May, when representatives of the employees of both companies

called on the Assistant Labour Officer to acquaint him with the demands for

increased wages and improved conditions of service which they had presented

to their respective employers. The representatives were accompanied by a

representative of the Hong Kong Office of the Canton Branch of the Chinese

Seamen's Union who sponsored their demands. At the first two meetings at

the Labour Office at which the men's original demands were considered, it

became obvious that the wage increases demanded were ridiculously high, in

some cases being nearly three times their current wages. The men no doubt

expected that these demands would be scaled down during the process of the

negotiations.

4.

The Star Ferry Company owns four double-ended ferry-boats, each

of which carries 500 passengers across the narrowest portion of the Harbour

(distance approximately one mile). The number of employees of this company

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

ARTHUR CREECH JONES, P.C., M.P.

RECEIVED 25 OCT 1946 CO. REGY