TNAG-0127-FCO40-163-Illegal-strikes-and-lockouts-ordinance-1969 — Page 30

(118281) Dd. 391599 1,500M 2/69 Hw.

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

COMEDENTIAL

Type 1 +

From

Registry

DRAFT

SAVING DESPATCH

No.

URITY CLASSIFICATION

To:-

Top Secret.

Seefet

GOVERNOR,

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

3). 2)-

HONG KONG

su Korsed

druft

Telephone No. & Ext.

Department

I refer to your Saving Despatch No. CR 29/3231/49 of 28 November, 1968, on the subject of the proposed amendments to the Illegal Strikes and Lock-outs Ordinance (Chapter 61). I welcome the decision of your Government to seek to bring up to date and improve the effectiveness of your legislation to protect the public interest from strikes and lock-outs in essential services; but I have considerable doubts about the manner in which it is proposed that

this should be done.

1960 (mg

it

2. It will be recalled that as far back as October

of that dal Hting

Sayingram No.2081) my predecessor was advised that intended to review your essential services legislation in the light of the Model Ordinance commended to all Colonial Governments at

You will the recall thes

L

that time. The principal features of this Model Ordinance were that

(a)

thert the right of workers to strike in essential services would be delayed, but not

prohibited;

(b)

the penal provisions would apply to all breaches of contract in defined circumstances

(c)

;and

steps would be taken to ensure that workers in essential services would be made aware of their responsibilities by the posting

of notices.

in despatcher commending this model to Colmist

Gurtened Particular attention was also drawn to the need to establish joint consultative and negotiating machinery in all essential services on the grounds that where the right of workers to withdraw their labour has been restricted, there exists a special obligation on the employer to ensure that there

are ...

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