TNAG-0096-FCO40-132-Hong-Kong-Trade-Unions-1968 — Page 8

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E.C. Glower Esq

конд

Hong Kong Depr

·

in

• IN

ES AUG 1968

#AWBIST

по

With the compliments.

of the

OVERSEAS LABOUR ADVISER

Mi

G. Foggon

8 August 1968

F

P

4400001

6,000 12/0B64151

CL. No.

Nimes CONFIDENTIAL

Copy

778271 Ex 1

REFERENce No.

LAB/CR/781/606/41(c)

BY

BAG

14

64,

LABOUR DEPARTMENT,

LEE GARDENS, SECOND FLOOR,

EAST BLOCK, HYSAN AVENUE,

ALONG KONG 1st Aucunt... 1968.

(C)

Mr. George Foggon C.M.G. 0.B.E.

Overseas Labour Adviser

Commonwealth Office/Foreign Office

Curtis Green Building

Victoria Embankment LONDON. S.W.1.

Dear

Gouge,

In answer to your letter of 15th July 1968, we have some limited information about Majumder's activities. He returned here at the beginning of June and paid a courtesy call on the Superintendent of the Seamen's Recruiting Office. He said that he had recently been in Singapore to enquire about the possibilities of recruiting trade unionists of chinese race whose unions were affiliated to the I.T.F. The intention was to second them to Hong Kong. He appeared to wish to recruit two such persons but he did not reveal if he had been successful. He gave no idea of how long he would be here. He gave the impression that he wished to organize labour in the transport industry, both land and sea, and that the Kowloon Motor Bus. Company and the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company were of special interest.

2.

About the middle of this month, Majumder addressed a meeting of right-wing transport unions, both land and sea, and explained the purpose of the I.T.F. and the proposal that a branch office of the I.T.F. should be established in Hong Kong. In reply the officials stressed that it was essential to increase the membership of free trade unions and recommended that the I.T.F. should assist in sponsoring welfare projects to attract new members. If Majumder's mission is unable to produce financial support it is unlikely to be successful. going to run into the same difficulties as his predecessors.

3.

He is

The

All interested departments have commented on Captain Tennant's report since it became available early in April. There is general agreement that he is deluding himself over lost opportunities here. failure of the communist trade unions has not resulted in a swing towards the right-wing trade unions or any increase in interest from the uncommitted especially the younger generations. The evidence suggests that workers have tended to disassociate themselves from trade unions when they are not motivated by communist or nationalist beliefs. Only three new "free" unions have been registered with a membership of only 161. Compared with last year, unions affiliated with the T.U.C. claimed 662 more declared members but lost about 6,000 paid-up members or nearly one-third of the previous total of 22,000.

4.

The stark fact is that the trade union movement, whatever its political flavour, has lost considerable ground since last year and is likely to take a considerable time before recovering even the limited success it had achieved up to 1967. My personal view is that Majumder

LAST

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is not likely to make much impression if he stays here for only four weeks.

5.

I hope this information, some of which comes from

confidential sources, will be helpful."

1

Yours sincerely

Вово

(R.M. Hetherington)

Commissioner of Labour

CONFIDENTIAL

0