CO129-626-3 Labour Department- report to Labour Commissioner 1-3-1951 - 30-6-1952 — Page 94

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293. The general question of Works Committees in industry leading to the development of Whitley machinery. should, of course, be pursued concurrently, and I am assured that this is being done.

29.

suprested constitution for an Interim Joint Council

is given in Appendix 17.

XVI.

STRIKES AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

295. Collective bargaining outside the engineering groups operates on an extremely restricted scale and shows little prospect of early development. The workers' organisations have little ides as to what is involved in collective bargaining and, in order to achieve an improvement, in terms and conditions of employment, usually resort to a demand backed by an implied threat of a strike. The advantages to be gained from tolerance and good will are clearly not yet appreciated. Union leaders have little or no idea of making a case for an increase in wage rates. Even the most reasonable and able union, the Chinese Engineers' Institute, in their strike of 1947 merely demanded an increase of 150% in basic wages because the cost of living had increased and they did not think that existing wage rates were adequate.

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296. On the other hand the employers are suspicious of the motives and practices of the unions and this is largely due to the influence of Chinese politics on the union leaders. Following the unfortunate dispute between the Hong Kong Tramways Ltd. and their workers in 1949, the Company has declined to recognise the union although they are prepared to discuss grievance with individuals or even groups of workers accompanied by a trade union official. This drastic action was taken by the Company because there had been a good deɛl of deliberate misrepresentation by the union officials culminating in an address by the acting Chairman of the Hong Kong Tramway Workers' Union in which he said:

"Dear Comrade Workers,

Some of the workers attending today's meeting are spies of the Management. They attempt to discredit the prestige of the Union by slanderous rumours and to sabotage the unity of the workers. I wish to warn them that if they indulge in discrediting the union and sɛbotage the unity of the workers at a time when the People's nevolution in China has achieved complete victory and when the working class has obtained state powers, I shall have no hesitation in reporting their names to the People's Government in order that action may be taken by the People's Government."

This of course constitutes intimidation of the worst kind and the implied threst is that all their property may be confis- cated and action may be taken against the relatives of any worker disagreeing with the Union. The acting Chairman Chan Yiu Choi admitted that he had, in fact, made this statement but said he had no option as he had been instructed to do so. He declined, however, to say who had instructed him.

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