TNAG-0296-FCO40-332-Legislation-for-registration-of-trade-unions-in-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 85

W(B)L 51-7406

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

kument at x

in later t Б Sor, H. M. Welles

You expressed some doubts, incidentally,

in your telegram No.1 about the propriety

of supplying the TUC with a copy of the

revised text of the Bill. I should like to

put your mind at rest about this. As I think

you know, both the TUC and the CBI are

CBI

represented on an official committee the

-

which

Overseas Labour Consultative Committee

sits under the chairmanship of Lord Lothian

and whose terms of reference are as follows:

"To discuss and, where appropriate, make recommendations on such matters as may from time to time be referred to it concerning Britain's Overseas Aid Programme in the labour field and remaining responsibilities in that field in the dependent territories; the scope of the labour attaché service; related questions."

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and

Victor Feather first wrote to the Secretary

of State on 24 September 1970 saying that he

had received information from Hong Kong

about a Bill to amend the Trade Union

Registration Ordinance. The letter went on to

say that a preliminary study of the proposed

amendments suggested that "some of them may

prove to be unduly restrictive"; the hope

was expressed that no action would be taken

before there had been time for proper study

and discussion of these proposals. The

matter subsequently came up for discussion

at a meeting of the OLCC on 30 October 1970

where, in view of the detail and scope of the

TUC's criticisms, it was proposed that a

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