15
22.
It is, in any case, generally agreed that "collective agreements
to 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. It is also clear that real disputes do not occur so much
about wages or terms of employment as about dismissals or job-security
questions. Of the 17 Strikes reported by the Labour Department in 1975,
10 arose directly from dismissals, redundancy or similar issues. Of the
on substantive matters
125 labour disputes (i.e. collective disputes/as opposed to individual and group
grievances or "matters of right") handled by Department in that year, no
less than 93 were connected with such causes (including 56 which came
within the scope of the Employment Ordinance's recent provisions for
severance pay): only 21 arose from wage rates, working conditions or
terms of employment. I understand that in many, if not most, of these
stoppages or disputes, action was taken (or the Department involved) by
workers spontaneously, without union initiative.
23.
It is said by several managements that, although no negotiations
occurred with unions on annual wage-revisions or the like, discussions
took place in joint consultative bodies which"helped to guide" firms
in their periodic wage-revisions. The Labour Department has been anxious to promote joint consultation, and at last report (end-1975) recorded 54 formal joint consultative committees as functioning in 24 establishment We were not, however, impressed by the representative character or effect
of those in the several firms where the existence of such bodies was
mentioned to us. In one, for instance, no elections had been held for
several years; retiring members nominated their successors.
In another,
In yet
the workers' representatives were nominated by supervisors. another, operatives had only a small representation on the Committee.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.