TNAG-0450-FCO40-515-Reports-of-Overseas-Labour-Adviser-on-visits-from-UK-to-Hong-1974 — Page 44

Mr Crowson

CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY Fo. 51

18 APR 1974

HKK 5/13

5

delaide ?

NB

Mr Stuart

REPORT ON LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS IN HONG KONG

1. I am sending forward with this minute my report on my recent visit to Hong Kong. I have sought in that report to cover the whole range of labour and social affairs and to look at them in the

If I framework of Hong Kong's economic and budgetary policies. were to sum up my conclusions, it would be to say that I believe the situation there to be on the whole unsatisfactory, although I would not call it disturbing.

2. I have been closely associated with labour policy in Hong Kong since 1958 and I am sorry to have to say that I find the attitude towards improved labour standards as negative today as it was then. Although a Crown Colony, we have continuously relaxed our degree of control over the years and have sought to rely upon persuasion and goodwill in advocating policies not at once acceptable to local

although opinion. I believe something more positive is now needed - I am under no delusion as to the difficulties.

3. If I may turn now to my report; I have drawn attention to four items of legislation, one of which has been held up for two years by administrative delays and the other three by the reluctance of Executive Council to approve them. I believe all these four pieces of legislation to be essential for social progress in Hong Kong. In one case i.e. reduction of overtime for women and young persons the continued refusal of the Hong Kong Government to take action is in direct contradiction of a pledge given to the House of Commons by Mr George Thomas MP (and in a letter by Lord Shepherd). The items of legislation are as follows:-

4.

1) 2)

Industrial Relations Bill

Anti-trade Union Discrimination Severance Pay Bill

Reduction of Overtime for Women and Young Persons.

The first of

I have set out the

The basis

Apart from these legislative delays, there are other aspects of Hong Kong's labour affairs that cause me anxiety. these concerns wages and the cost of living. situation as I see it in paragraph 5 to 14 of my report. of my uneasiness is that in the event of a continued fall in real wages in Hag Kong during 1974, there is, in the absence of collective bargaining and statutory wage fixing machinery, no mechanism by which wages can be brought some way to meet the increased cost of living.

CONFIDENTIAL

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