SECRET
10
they would be drawn from the independent trade unions
rather from the larger politically orientated
organisations.
Viewed from here, it would be desirable
for the Governor to appoint such a figure when
appointments are next made. This is an immediate
problem but it illustrates the more general difficulty
of the representation of the wage-earning population on the Council. While the Governor is fully aware of the value to the Secretary of State of such an appointment, the difficulties of finding a suitable or even credible figure from the very small number of independent unionists in Hong Kong are obvious (see
paragraph
above). Balancing these two views
is difficult and will require a decision by Ministers: but a possible solution to the immediate difficulty might be a personality so closely, publicly and
to approent
personally associated with efforts to improve indus- trial working conditions to dispose of criticism that there is no spokesman for workers' interests in the Council. In the longer term there should be scope
for appointments of persons with a background in the trade unions but care would need to be taken to avoid giving the Chinese the impression that we were seeking to undermine their own Communist unions who can be expected to continue to boycott participation in Hong Kong Government activity at any level. The more promising approach would be actively to groom possible
the leaky
candidates through legally accepted progression of
Serveer
public sVQYS for-services on advisory committees. The Turner study of Labour Relations referred to in
/paragraph
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