TNAG-0230-FCO40-266-Conditions-of-employment-of-labour-force-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 166

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Shepherd.

23rd February, 1970

No-ong ha

I am very worried at the apparent ease in which the industrialists of Hong Kong can pressurize the Commissioner of Labour into reversing his previous decision. However, we are now faced with the fact that the decision has been taken and in spite of what might be claimed, I absolutely refuse to believe that the con- cession will be terminated next year.

It is indeed unfortunate that this decision should have been taken at a time when I am dealing with our affiliated organizations in the United States regarding a boycott of British Textiles and Apparel, because of the imports of Textile Goods from Hong Kong with sweatshop wages.

Our International Federation must now proceed to inform all its affiliates of the new developments in Hong Kong, and the immediate result of this will be to gain support for the American method of finding a solution, and it is such a reaction that I have been striving to avoid.

It grieves me to learn that both the Administration and Industrialists in Hong Kong have apparently forgotten the warnings of the events of 1967, and their neglect to lean slightly in favour of the right wing unions plus such exploitation of the helpless can only lead to a repetition of the rioting and bloodshed that then occurred.

I would also like to bring to your attention that according to an article appearing in the Hong Kong Standard, of February 17th 1970, the Hong Kong Labour Department will soon launch a blitz on factories employing child labour. The article claims that the Labour Department concedes that 3,600 of Hong Kong's 14,400 industrial firms are guilty of hiring child labour. Then comes the following sentence "Here in distressing conditions 12 to 13 year old children work up to 14 hours per day". I am enclosing a photo-copy of this particular article for your information.

I am now placed in the invidious position of having to publicize ail the snortcomings of the Hong Kong Administration plus the arrogance of the industrialists, which is something that will be seized upon by those who wish to further their own interests under a pretence of taking action on humane grounds.

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