TNAG-0744-FCO40-948-Relations-between-China-and-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 5

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LABOUR.

4. TWELVE GOVERNMENT-EMPLOYEES' ORGANISATIONS REPRESENTING ABOUT

9,808 EMPLOYEES (INCLUDING ABOUT 6,500 NURSES) IN WIDELY VARYING

FIELDS ARE CURRENTLY IN DISPUTE WITH THE GOVERNMENT OVER CONDITION OF SERVICE, PAY AND PROMOTION (SEE PARA.7 OF THE OCTOBER ASSESSMENT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF COMMUNIST OR K.M.T SUPPORT EITHER

PARTICULARLY OR GENERALLY. 700 WORKERS AT TWO TEXTILE FACTORIES

OWNED BY THE TEXTILE CORP. OF HONG KONG WENT ON STRIKE BECAUSE OF

UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THEIR FUTURE FOLLOWING THE SALE OF THE FACTORIES FOR REDEVELOPMENT. THEY RETURNED TO WORK ON 23 NOVEMBER AFTER THE

MANAGEMENT ACCEPTED THEIR DEMANDS. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT-WING UNIONS

REFUSED TO BE DRAWN INTO THE AFFAIR.

5. THE COMMUNIST FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS HAS DECIDED TO ACCEPT

INVITATIONS TO GOVERNMENT SOCIAL FUNCTIONS, PRIMARILY TO ATTRACT

NON-MEMBERS AND TO INCREASE ITS CONTACT WITH PROMINENT LOCAL

FIGURES. CONVERSELY, THE FEDERATION WILL INVITE GOVERNMENT OFFICIA

AND LOCAL NON-COMMUNIST LEADERS TO THEIR OWN SOCIAL FUNCTIONS,

PROPAGANDA.

6. ANOTHER MONTHLY WHICH COVERS CHINESE POLITICS IN A FAR MORE OPEN STYLE THAN THE MEDIA IN CHINA (AND WHICH KEEPS CLOSE TO POSITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH TENG HSIAO-PING) APPEARED ON THE BOOKSTALLS IN EARLY NOVEMBER. THE MAGAZINE, TUNG HSIANG (TRENDS

MONTHLY), HAS NO OVERT COMMUNIST LINKS BUT IS PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROVAL OF LOCAL COMMUNIST PUBLISHING CADRES. THE EDITOR,

A FORMER EDITOR OF THE WEN WEI PAO WHO ALSO EDITS CHENG MING''

(THE OTHER RECENT NEW PRO-COMMUNIST MONTHLY), HAS BEEN PRIVATELY CONGRATULATED BY THEM ON ITS SUCCESS 5,000 EXTRA COPIES WERE

PRINTED OF THE FIRST ISSUE.

/EDUCATION.

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