TNAG-0530-FCO40-625-Trade-union-relations-in-Hong-Kong-industry-1975 — Page 143

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RECON OF A MEETING BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE FO

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS AND MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE LABOUR. PARTY HELD

IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON WEDNESDAY, 23 AFRIL, at 3.15 pm

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RECEIVED IN

REGISTRY 1!0, 51

12 MAY 1975

Present:

The Rt Hon James Callaghan MP

Mr 3 J Barrett

r F L O'Keeffe

Fir G Foggon

Mr T McNally

Mr CW Squire

Mr Ian Mikardo MP Mr A Kitson

Mr Sam McCluskie Miss ∙Little

1.

Mr Callaghan welcomed the members of the Committee and said that he would be glad to listen to what they had to say and to send them a considered reply in due course.

Hong Kong

2.

Mr Mikardo said that there was a strong and growing feeling in the Labour Party that Hong Kong was run by,

There was and in the interests of, the trading community. real disquiet at the absence of representative institutions in the Colony. The TUC were disturbed by the non-recognition of trade unions in the Colony; the various obstacles placed in the way of development of a trade union movement; and the failure of Hong Kong to apply various ILO Conventions to which the UK itself was party. It was easy to understand that there' were problems and difficult to equate the situation in Hong Kong with that in Western European countries. But the Hong Kong authoritics often seemed to use alleged political difficulties associated with the existence of pro-Feking and

He pro-Taiwan factions as an excuse to frustrate progress. understood, for instance, that alleged difficulties with the CPR had recently been responsible for a decision to deny repair facilities to a Polish merchant ship which had promptly gone off to Shanghai for repair. He failed to see what barrier there was to the ratification of IO Conventions or why the unions should, as an act of Government policy, be kept in a state of fragmentation. The situation seemed particularly bad in the seamen's unions, which had no proper functions and where it was left to an effective and conscientious Seafarers' Recruiting Officer to prevent the owners actually reducing

The Committee wages in the present inflationary conditions. were quite sure the civil servants in Hong Kong were doing a good job but they were out on a limb and needed effective backing from the trades union movement here.

CONFIDENTIAL

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