BRIEF FOR LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS' VISIT TO HONG KONG
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Notes for Press Conference.
29. Q. Would you like to see trade unionism developed in
Hong Kong?
30.
A.
Q.
A.
It seems to me that trade unionism is already developed
in Hong Kong. I understand that at the end of last year you had no fewer than 283 registered trade unions.
What seems to be needed is some rationalisation of the
trade union structure to reduce fragmentation and a multiplicity of unions and make them more effective.
Are you satisfied with labour legislation in Hong Kong, especially application of ILO conventions?
This year has seen great progress with your labour legislation e.g. the introduction of severance pay, the enactment of legislation to make anti-trade union discrimination an offence, the reduction of overtime for women and young persons, improvement in workmen's compensation.
There are
These are important advances. other improvements that can be made but I recognise that they cannot all be done at once. The improvement in
the labour legislation is reflected in the growing
number of International Labour Conventions that have
been applied. The figure is now 20 Conventions fully applied in Hong Kong and 10 applied with some modifications. This compares well with Hong Kong's neighbours in South East Asia - but obviously I would
like to see a continued extension of the application
of these Conventions. In particular, there may be room for improvement with regard to Maritime Conventions.
31. Q. Have you met any TU representatives here?
(To be answered in the light of the programme)
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.