TNAG-0650-FCO40-798-Study-of-labour-relations-in-Hong-Kong-by-Professor-H.-A.-Tu-1977 — Page 95

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It is true that fragmentation is, if not quite as characteristic of

ces it is

Hong Kong employers' associations of trade unions, very nearly so: there are

currently 44 bodies registered as such, and several of them operate in

the same trades (there are, for instance, three separate organisations

C

of plastic manufacturers their difference, I gather, being mainly

Chinese

connected with varying regional origin of/ownerships). Even where

employers are grouped in a cohesive way, as in the case of the Spinners'

Association (though not necessarily as employers' associations, even

though labour policy may be one of their functions) there is usually an

evident hostility to making agreements as a group. It is notable that

the Hong Kong Employers' Federation regarded a recent agreement, in which

it had been instrumental, between all the stevedoring concerns (except the

Peking_owned ones) with both Left and Right unions as quite exceptional.

20.21

A number of individual concerns, especially the major utilities,

do claim to have regular negotiations (usually annual) with union

representatives on the revision of wage-rates, etc., but so far as we

could discover these were generally of the most ritual or nominal

character. The typical process, as it was described to us on several

occasions, was one in which the management informed the union with which

it dealt (usually the Right-wing one few managements "recognise" Left-

wing unions) of its proposed alterations for the next year, listened

to objections if any were made, and then announced its decisions with

little if any amendment. The most elaborate of these processes, as it was

described to us by the firm, in effect involved a management decision as to

the forthcoming year's wage-revisions: it would then post a notice

proposing a lower offer in the works; the union would make some counter-

demands, whereupon the management announced an improvement on its first

offer which in fact implemented its initial, and private decision.