0003160 G.F. 316
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management has refused to accede to union demands and the situation remains as it did at the end of March with production normal
at the factory, and with the workers still apparently undecided as to their future course of action.
7.
The Hong Kong Seamen's Union (H. K. S. U.) (claimed membership, 27,000; paid up membership, 13,200) continued during the beginning of the month to celebrate the "victory" over the Royal Interocean Lines (R. I. L.) in the dispute concerning the shooting incident on their vessel the "Straat Malakka" (L.I.C. Monthly Internal Intelligence Report for March 1967, paragraph 2 refers). The F.T.U. is exemplifying this dispute as the model of the way in which labour disputes should be conducted and has organised a series of large scale meetings of representatives from affiliated unions to discuss and analyse the lessons to be learned. The H. K. S. U. has conducted three further successful negotiations with ship owners during the month. The first dispute concerned the crew of a Danish ship which was being sold to a left-wing shipping company. The union demanded two month's severance pay in lieu of the one month allowed by Danish law, and some reflections of the "Straat Malakka" dispute were apparent in that the union also demanded an apology from the captain for asking the police to stand by when he feared trouble on bourd. The union wlso threatened to send daily delegations to the agent's office and hold up the sale of the vessel, if the demands were not met. The second dispute concerned the entries in the discharge books of sea men who had left their vessel in Ethiopia after a quarrel with other Chinese members of the crew, and the third, the arrest of a Chinese motorman in Port Moresby after a quarrel with a British ship's officer. On this latter occasion an apology was again demanded from the Captain. In all three disputes the owners or their agents agreed in full to the union's demands.
8.
Left-wing workers in a number of other companies have approached their managements with demands for better pay and conditions and in the majority of cases have at least been partially successful, Stoppages of work have occurred in several of the factories concerned, including two factories owned by an artificial flower company where some 500 workers are affected, and the Green Island Cement Co., (L. I.C. Monthly Intelligence Report for March, 1966, paragraph 4 refers). A small group of workers in two Government departments, the Waterworks and the Medical departments, have also made representations on their particular conditions of service, but so far there has been no overt union support.
9.
Labour Day celebrations on 1 May passed off quietly; a large number of left-wing union celebrations were held in the Workers' Club of the F.T.U.
Club of the F.T. U., whilst, as in previous years, others were held at union premises and restaurants throughout the Colony. The Kuomintang (K.M.T.) controlled Trade Union Council (T.U.C.) held its usual celebration at its Headquarters and right- wing unions also held functions at union premises and restaurants. There were no indications of an increase in scale of either left or right-wing celebrations, but as a reflection of the increased activity in the labour field, all functions were well attended. The main themes of the speeches at the left-wing functions were praise of the Cultural Revolution in China and the manner in which the Thoughts of MAO Tse-tung have been victorious in recent labour disputes, the Hong Kong Seamen's Union/Royal Interocean Lines and the Central Taxi Company disputes being cited as examples. Several references were also made to the great "victory over the Macau Government. At right-wing celebrations, the speeches followed the usual now well worn pattern of condemnation of conditions on the mainland and the oppression of the workers. Additional attacks were made against left-wing unions for creating unrest in local industries.
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