Most of the TUC's 83, affiliated unions which generally support it are concerned with the. textiles, building and construction, and catering industries.
13.
There are 89 independent unions.
14.
A breakdown of union membership is shown at Annex  which demonstrates two factors. The total paid-up membership of 226,655 means that less than 15% of the total working population are union members. Secondly, the relative gain in FTU member- ship reflects its more vigorous activities in providing a service to its members through social and educational activities; organised parties; the provision of clinics and its alertness in intervening in local disputes.
15. The minority membership of the trade union movement (paragraph 14) is one factor underlying the relative infrequency . of collective bargaining. Another factor is the fragmentation of the movement and the multiplicity of unions. At the end of 1973 there were no fewer than 283 registered unions. Divided politically and further separated by differences in dialect, the number of unions has therefore grown beyond practical needs, and divergent loyalties have prevented those with cominon interests from amalgamating into effective organisations. Fragmentation and the multiplicity of unions have resulted in unions being small and financial resources meagre.
The result is a shortage of capable officials, weak administration and poor service for the membership. An additional impediment to effective collective bargaining is the proliferation of small employers.
+
•
16.
Trade unions are supervised by the Registrar of Trade Unions who administers the provisions of the Trade Unions Ordinance. The main provisions of the Ordinance are summarised
at Annex B.
Wage Determination
G
17. Trade unions in Hong Kong do not often enter into collective bargaining processes and joint negotiations with employers mostly take place only to meet particular situations as they arise. Most wages are fixed by individual verbal agreements with employers (which helps to explain the wide range of daily wages paragraph 5 above). There are no statutory minimum wages. Wage-levels are therefore determined more by supply and demand than by systematic negot tiations. However, in the 12 months ending March 1973, 37 unions were known to have put forward wage demands to individual employers or to employers' organisations. In the majority of cases, direct negotiations were held and increases in wages obtained. At that same date (31 March 1973), 50 undertakings, with the encouragement of the Labour Department, were known to have introduced some form of joint consultation more advanced than mere periodic informal discussions between management and workers. These joint consultativo arrangements covered 46,256 employees.
/Inăuntní al
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.