XN000022-1973-02-07 — Page 2

Wednesday, February 7, 1973

OVER 70 PER CENT OF LABOUR DISPUTES SOLVED

Record Amount Paid Out To Workers Last Year

The Labour Relations Service of the Labour Department dealt with

4,524 labour problems in 1972 and helped solve 3,275 or 72.4 per cent

of them.

The remainder were referred to the courts and the Legal Aid

Department.

The five branch offices of the Labour Relations Service handled

some 19,040 inquiries and consultations about personnel management and

labour laws. Advice given by the Service prevented many disputes from

arising or deteriorating.

Mr. Tsui Tin-fook, Senior Labour Officer in charge of the Labour

Relations Division, said that a record $7,924,990 was paid out by managements to 11,876 employees in disputes settled with the help of the department. This averaged $667 per employee.

"This amount is a combination of money due to workers under the

law and ex-gratia payments," he said.

"Yet it does not take into account the large sums of long service

benefits received by workers of two large shipyards in November following

the settlement by the parties themselves of their differences over the

question of the merger of yard operations," he added.

The Labour Relations Service itself functions as an independent

and neutral party to help employers and employees resolve their

differences.

/"But,