TNAG-0518-FCO40-613-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 60

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8507 D.073939 200M. 11/74 Cr.P.C. Gp.839/3

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labour relations and trade union situation in Hong Kong from some well-qualified source. There did not, in his view, seem at present to be a body of informed knowledge on this subject in this country and he felt that the advice tendered to you by the Labour Advisory Board did not, on the evidence, adequately cover the spectrum of employer and employee opinion in the Colony, being particularly impressed by the public renchie to the recent Labour Relations Bill. He recognise that the difficulty of making the Board properly representative, given the total non-cooperation of the communist trade unions, was a factor which militated against any development of an adequate dialogue between government and labour even if it were

*x*x*x relatively non-controversial, or at any rate, non-ideological. He was attracted, therefore to the idea of a low profile, academic study to be undertaken by someone of the calibre of Dr W R McCarthy, at present Chairman of the Railway Arbitration Tribunal. Dr McCarthy undertook a major part of the search undertaken by the Donovan Commission and is generally thought, of here as someone who can be relied upon to approach the Hong Kong situation in an objective m practical way. We pointed out the delicacy of be situation and the need to work out modalities with you very carefully. I shall write to you further when this idea has been developed a little further.

6.

Speaking more generally, Mr Callaghan

wondered whether the Labour Advisory Board could be developed into a body with wider terms of reference to give advice on economic and social matters besides, the narrower field of industrial and labour relations. He speculated on the

organis Blin possibility of a quadripartite consisting of the Government, the employers and the communist and

Ou brin non-communist trade unions. And in Caipherr 1; ( reminded of the non-cooperation of the communist, trade unions, tich he said that he would like to give more thought to the possibility of served.

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