TNAG-0648-FCO40-796-Study-of-labour-relations-in-Hong-Kong-by-Professor-H-A-Turn-1977 — Page 111

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The Rt Hon Dr David Owen MP

Foreign Secretary

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

LONDON

SW1A 2AH

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21 Tothill Street London SW1H 9LP Telephone 01-930 6711 Telex 21332 Telegrams

Cobustry London SW1

4 April 1977

Dear Dr Owen

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LABOUR RELATIONS IN HONG KONG INTERIM AND PROVISIONAL REVIEW BY PROFESSOR H A TURNER 1977

Thank you for your letter of 17 March 1977 addressed to the Director- General enclosing a copy of Professor Turner's interim and provisional review of Labour Relations in Hong Kong.

Though the report is extremely interesting with the facts cogently presented, we are in some difficulty when it comes to commenting on its contents as the CBI has neither the requisite expertise within its offices nor any authority to speak on behalf of Hong Kong employers.

In order to consider the report in any detail I feel it is necessary for it to be circulated amongst companies with Hong Kong interests and to the relevant representative organisations in Hong Kong for perusal. If you agree to do this it would naturally take some time to collate comments and in these circumstances an examination of this report at the next OLCC meeting on 29 April is obviously premature. In any case many of the recommendations and conclusions are political ones which fall properly to be considered by HM Government or in Hong Kong and not by the OLCC.

However, it seems appropriate that Professor Turner should be permitted to finish the work he has started and he should complete his studies on a general minimum legal wage, labour relations at plant level, and the Hong Kong Government's labour relations policies. These are areas which in paragraph 80 of the provisional report the Professor himself maintains requires further study before he can pronounce definitively on labour relations in Hong Kong.

purs sincerely

نسف

H M L Morton

Director

Social Affairs, Administration and Advisory Services

Director-General: John Methven

Secretary:

E M Felgate