TNAG-0234-FCO40-270-Labour-disputes-and-trade-unions-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 113

N

Helv

5th May, 1970

Dear Mr Wakeford,

5/c/ir

I was surprised to see your letter to our Branch Secretary Mr Ben Becker dated 3rd April, 1970.

ww

When Mr Mark Young of the Electrical/Plumbing Trades Union and I met you on 30th October, we were glad to hear you state that proper relationships would result between the ASTMS Branch and the company provided that all the legal requirements had been fulfilled,

These requirements have now been met quite precisely and we would have expected that normal collective bargaining arragements would have resulted.

I must confess that I am at a loss to understand your point about contracts. All workers work under contract whether they are in the United Kingdom or not and it is common practice for us to negotiate changes in individual contracts and it may be that there is some misunderstanding about this point but I can assure you that with airline organisations it has been our practice to negotiate and modify individual contracts.

I should be grateful if you would now consider this point of view and have a discussion with Mr Becker and his colleagues and if there is any difficulty of a significant nature, I would hold myself available to come to Hong Kong but I would very much hope that this matter could be resolved in the Colony between the parties concernod.

I await a letter from you.

Yours sincerely,

Mr A Wakoford,

General Manager,

Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co Ltd.

PO Box No 5728,

Kowloon,

Hong Kong.