XN000022-1973-07-06 — Page 16

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Friday, July 6, 1973

DECLINE IN NUMBER OF INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

The number of industrial disputes in Hong Kong has fallen in the

first five months of this year compared to the same period last year.

The Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Mr. Ian Price, said today: "This

downward trend in the number of disputes is particularly pleasing in view

of the big increase in the number of factories and the number of industrial

workers this year as against last year."

Mr. Price said that 1,953 industrial disputes were reported to

the Labour Relations Service of the Labour Department in the five months

up to the end of May, compared with 2,076 in the same period in 1972.

"Our figures for the first quarter of this year showed that 1,104

new factories opened while 895 either closed down or moved to another site,'

he said. "This means a net gain of some 209 factories during the period a

reversal of the previous (December) quarter, when there was a not loss of

128 factories.

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"The latest monthly figure we have

that for May shows a net

T

gain of 120 factories in that month alone, so the upward trend is obviously

continuing."

The March quarterly survey - our most recent

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shows a total of

21,795 industrial undertakings, which is well-up on the figure for March last

year of 19,474, and even on the December figure of 21,386.

"The same survey showed that there are also more people employed

in industry now than ever before. The March total was 616,609 as against

598,555 for the corresponding period in 1972.

At the same