TNAG-0648-FCO40-796-Study-of-labour-relations-in-Hong-Kong-by-Professor-H-A-Turn-1977 — Page 73

4.

Collective agreements are very rare and, such as they are, are usually of an ad hoc and elementary character (paras 19 - 20). The managements prefer to deal with Right Wing unions (para 21): but any "collective agreements" do not lead, but follow, the pattern set by wage-movements elsewhere and do not provide superior terms than conditions determined autonomously by major private managements, except perhaps in respect of some fringe benefits (para 22). Disputes are usually related to job security rather than to wages and terms of employment 5. There is an extraordinary situation in the Public Service, where three associations representing the upper grades of the Civil Service take part in annual discussions on possible salary reviews which affect the whole of the Service, whilst 80 other trade unions of public service employees, some of which claim larger memberships, are excluded from these consultations (para 24). Other "puzzles" are why official procedures, eg the establishment of statutory wage boards of the kind provided for by the Trade Boards Ordinance of 1940, or recourse to the provisions of the Labour Relations Ordinance of 1975, have never been exploited by the unions (paras 25 26).

Explanations of Union Weakness

6. In paragraphs 27 32 the report deals with the weakness of the trade unions and the comparative absence of pressure from the workers for social progress in terms of two arguments commonly presented in Hong Kong. The first is that collective bargaining and social protection are not necessary to the Hong Kong worker since he operates effectively in a rational and competitive market (para 28). The second argument is that the absence of political democracy, the power of business interests and divisions in the trade union movement, coupled with the refugee background of many workers, have combined to prevent the emergence of a strong trade union movement (para 29).

7. The two arguments (para 32) involve propositions about the character of the Hong Kong labour market, second the attitudes of workers and employees, and third the effects of Hong Kong's particular trade union situation.

2

/The Hong Kong