TNAG-0647-FCO40-795-Study-of-labour-relations-in-Hong-Kong-by-Professor-H-A-Turn-1977 — Page 155

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considered that trade unions did have a part to play (38%) ties in with

the low importance accorded to trade unions by the respondents in the

previous questions on job choice. The younger section of the sample were

more likely to think trade unions had a positive role: 44% of the

younger men and 49% of the younger women felt this compared to 17% of

the older men 22% of the older women. A substantial number of older men

and women opted for "don't know" here.

The respondents were asked whether or not trade unions should undertake

certain activities, and a substantial minority here agreed with the

inclusion of all the functions: they felt that trade unions should

bargain with employers, handle individual members' grievances, provide

welfare benefits, social services and recreational activities, recruit

new members and get workers in Hong Kong a larger share in the

16 Colony's wealth. The proportion of the sample agreeing with these

items varied between 35 and 50, as Table 8 shows; and in most cases

was thus slightly higher than the proportion who felt that trade unions

had a useful role to play. Few of the respondents felt that trade

unions should not undertake any particular kind of action but, on the

other hand, few felt that trade unions should undertake any other

activities not on the list.

However, the overall survey figures mask some important differences

between the sub-groups in the sample here, as column 195 (ii), (iii)

and (iv) of Table 8 show. The majority of the employees of large firms

felt that trade unions should undertake all the functions listed in the

question whereas the employees of the small firms tended to give don't

know replies here. This finding tends to suggest that the small

employees were less likely to come into contact with trade unions and

consequently had little idea of how they functioned. But on the other

hand, it may be the case that the respondents in the small firms were

more afraid to reply to questions on trade unionism in case their

employers found out how they had answered. What is needed here is a

specific question as how many respondents could have joined a trade

17 union at their place of work if they had wanted to. There were also

consistent differences between men and women with the former feeling

that trade unions should undertake the functions listed in the question

while the latter tended to give don't know replies. Finally in the

case of some particular trade union functions, the unskilled respondents

appeared to be more in favour while the skilled and semi-skilled gave

don't know replies.