TNAG-0234-FCO40-270-Labour-disputes-and-trade-unions-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 125

CONFIDENTIAL

Meeting with Mr. Clive Jenkins of ASTMS

on Tuesday, 5 May, 1970

Mr. Clive Jenkins

Mr. G. Foggon

Mr. E. C. Laird

Mr. G. F. Kinnear

PRESENT:

Joint General Secretary, Association for Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs.

Overseas Labour Adviser, FCO.

Hong Kong Department, FCO.

Hong Kong Department, FCO.

Mr. Jenkins began by saying that, for many years, his Association had tried to help their members working overseas. They had a group working with the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) whom he had met in the Colony last year. That group had recently formed a trade union which was formally registered by the Registrar in Hong Kong on 17 February. The Secretary had then written to the Company seeking recognition of the Union as a negotiating body. To their surprise, however, Mr. A. Wakeford, the General Manager, had replied that the Company could not recognise the ASTMS as a negotiating body since almost all its members were working under contract terms which were binding on both signatories, the employee concerned and the Company.

2. Mr. Jenkins explained that until a year or so ago salaries and conditions of employment generally of aircraft technicians in Hong Kong had compared favourably with salaries and conditions in comparable employment in the United Kingdom. During the last eighteen months, however, it had become clear that conditions in Hong Kong had fallen behind world conditions and the group in Hong Kong wished to renegotiate their conditions of service with the Company in a simple collective bargaining way. He could not understand the Company's attitude in refusing recognition on the grounds that members of the Union were employed on contract.

His Union had negotiated many agreements with aircraft concerns whose employees were engaged on contract terms. In any case, when he had visited Hong Kong in October, 1969, Mr. Wakeford had assured him that once the Union was registered under Hong Kong law he would be prepared to deal with it.

3.

Mr. Jenkins also explained that there were a number of Chinese members of the Union who were paid less than the expatriate members (although in some cases better qualified). The Union wished to obtain equal pay for its Chinese and expatriate members. If HAECO refused to recognise the Union Hong Kong could be declared "black"

which would

CONFIDENTIAL