TNAG-0484-FCO40-549-Petitions-from-National-Union-of-Journalists-about-closure-o-1974 — Page 7

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Sir D Wa

3

Watson

HONG KONG:

1.

RESTRICTED

if

P/s. Lood. Goronary - Roberts I should be grateful Lord formay

létente could

to acked to sign

la

the

lecutary of Water Whalf.

CLOSURE OF THE "CHINA MAIL"

14/2019

Mr Kenneth Morgan, the General Secretary of the UK National Union of Journalists, wrote to the Secretary of State on 20 and Flag 21 August, asking whether we could help to settle a dispute over

the severance terms being offered to journalists thrown out of work by the closure of Hong Kong's "China Mail". A letter of acknowledg- ment was sent on 21 August.

Flag

2.

We asked the Hong Kong Government whether there was anything Flag they could do. However, by the time my letter of 27 August reached

Hong Kong, the dispute had already been settled.

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6) 3.

We have now heard from Hong Kong that the Labour Department's Labour Relations Service in fact played a significant part in achieving the settlement, by arranging a series of private meetings between representatives of the management and the employees.

4.

I recommend that the Secretary of State should write to Mr Morgan on the lines of the attached draft, which is based on the information received from Hong Kong. The Labour Adviser agrees.

25 September 1974

ACSE

A C Stuart

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

RESTRICTED

Daan Wation

26/9

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