TNAG-0234-FCO40-270-Labour-disputes-and-trade-unions-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 19

BRIEF FOR MR. ANTHONY ROYLE'S

MEETING WITH A DELEGATION LED BY MR. CLIVE JENKINS.

GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTIFIC. TECHNICAL AND MANAGERIAL STAFFS (ASTMS) ABOUT

TRADE UNION RECOGNITION IN HONG KONG

Summary

43

Points to be made

1.

The trade union movement in Hong Kong has made little

progress in terms of membership and influence.

Total

2.

declared membership is only about 190,000 of whom not

more than 125,000, or less than 10 per cent of the Colony's

total workforce of about 1.5 million are paid-up members.

With this minority representation unions have been unable

to win formal recognition as bargaining agents, though some

managements have entered into working arrangements which

amount to tacit recognition. With the exception of some

20 per cent of the total trade union membership which is

netural and independent, Trade Unions in Hong Kong are

split into two camps the Federation of Free Trade Unions (communist) and the Trade Union Council (Kuomintang).

The communist unions have a membership of about 75,000,

while the Kuomintang unions membership is about 25,000,

the same as the neutral unions. Neither the FTU nor the

TUC is prepared to co-operate with each other. (Para.4)

The Hong Kong Government cannot compel workers to join

unions or employers to grant recognition:

but it remains

open to unions to seek recognition by industrial action.

/A new