TNAG-0234-FCO40-270-Labour-disputes-and-trade-unions-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 17

Additional Brief for Mr. Anthony Royle's Meeting with a Delegation led by Mr. Clive Jenkins

Hong Kong Trade Union Registration (Amendment) Bill.

Previous Representations

(a) Mr. Royle saw Mr. James Johnson MP about the Bill on

3 November.

(b) Representations have also been received from Mr. Gibson,

General Secretary of the National Union of Hosiery

(c)

and Knitwear Workers.

The British TUC has indicated its disquiet, and after

a preliminary discussion at the Overseas Labour

Consultative Committee on 30 October, with Lord

Lothian in the chair, a detailed examination of the

Bill is to be undertaken by officials of the TUC and

the FCO (the TUC's comments are contained in a letter

from Mr. Feather of 4 December).

Nature of Objections

2.

There are four principal objections to the Bill.

(a) Registration of temporary unions.

This is being deleted from the Bill, largely as a result

of representations from the Hong Kong TUC made in the

Labour Advisory Board that workers might be disinclined

to join trade unions if they were easily able to

organise temporary unions to meet special circumstances.

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