TNAG-0738-FCO40-942-Progress-reports-of-Civil-Service-Branch--Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 3

The Emergence of the Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union

INTRODUCTION

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This paper seeks to identify causes leading to the emergence of the Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union. Though closely related, factors that explain the fragmented pattern of union development and the growing rate of union organisation in the civil service in the last few years are outside the scope of this paper. The latter are more thoroughly dealt with in the reports of Yerbury and Quinlan.

STRUCTURE

The Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union is a transformation of "PACT", which was an informal gathering of trade unions of civil servants. I was formally registered as a union in February 1978 with a constitution very similar to that of the Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants' Association (KKCCCA). Like the latter, the General Union can recruit members right across

The General Union the civil service, irrespective of rank, salary or race. has also adopted the HKCCSA's newly devised arrangement to provide ties with the grade associations, namely, to allow in the constitution affiliation of the grade associations with the general union.

There is, however, one significant difference between the two

structures. The supreme authority of the HKCCSA lies in the General Meeting of Unit Representatives and Affiliated Union Representatives. The latter are nominated by the respective affiliated unions and need not go through the internal election process of HKCCSA. They have absolutely equal status and enjoy equal rights as the Unit Representatives, including the right to be elected as Council Members and other office-bearers. However, members of the Affiliated Unions do not enjoy individual benefits in HKCCSA unless they join the Association individually and pay annual subscriptions. Under the General Union model, the affiliated unions do not send representatives direct

Members of the affiliated unions to the General Meeting of the General Union.

are "introduced" into the General Union by the respective affiliated unions and are grouped into various Units, which in turn elect their Unit Representatives to the General Meeting. The "introduced" members do not have to pay any sub- scriptions to the General Union but enjoy the same rights as other ordinary members as long as the affiliated unions continue to pay the affiliation fee.

For propaganda purposes, the General Union, given its easiness to recruit ordinary members, is in an advantageous position in comparison with for the HKCCSA. Financially, however, the General Union is extremely weak,

At the moment, the amount of affiliation fee that it can receive is limited. for a union of 101 500 members, the annual fee charged is only HK$300. Assuming that the General Union has recruited 20 affiliated unions of 500 members each (which is already above the average size of a union of civil servants in Hong Kong), the annual income is only HK$6,000. It is doubtful whether an organisation with such an annual income can function effectively and be capable of looking after the interests of 10,000 members.

It will be noted that the number of members who join the General Union individually (i.e. not through any affiliated union) will be very small, for they, unlike the members "introduced" by the affiliated unions, have to pay an annual subscription of HK$30.

CBJECTS

One of the main objects of the General Union is to seek recognition by the Government and representation on the central consultative council (Senior Civil Service Council). At the moment, the Staff Side of this Council is represented by three Staff Associations: the Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants' Association (HKCCSA), the Senior Non-Expatriate Officers Association (GNEOA) and the Association of Expatriate Civil Servants (AECS). Of these

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