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but has published letters defending them.
It is especially
remarkable that although the major leaders of the Left and Right union groups maintain public attitudes of mutual hostility, and their philosophies and associations are clearly such that no arrangement between them is feasible, there is no evidence of significant competition
- for instance, in wage or other demands at the industry and enterprise level. Indeed, there is clearly a good deal of mutual tolerance at the workplace (the extent of dual membership has already been noted); and even in cases where a Left union has a greater membership than a Right union, but as is likely to be
normal in such situations - the latter is "recognised" to the extent that managements deal with unions at all, it seems unusual for the
Left to challenge the position.
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There are several possible explanation of the industrial quiescence of the F.T.U. group; of which, the most likely is that China earns a very large proportion (there are varying estimates) of foreign currency which is vital for the acquisition of equipment
and materials through Hong Kong, and does not encourage its subordinate union group to action which may disturb that flow. Equally, membership of an F.T.U. union is not generally based on radical
convictions in an industrial sense, but on the non-industrial
advantages of membership, on pride in Chinese achievement, and on prudence for possible future political events; it serves as a demonstration, not of class but of national identity.
57.
As regards the much smaller (and in my judgement, senescent) group of Right-wing unions, it is equally true that union activity,
such as it is, is dominated by non-industrial functions. In that case,
/the.....
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