CONFIDENTIAL
3
the public seater too!
7.
In January 1978 a clash between the Chairman of the Association of Chinese Employees of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and the then Personnel Manageress of the Jockey Club led to a week-long strike by 700 mafoos (grooms). In April 1978, 3,000 female workers in an electronics factory resorted to industrial action when, on account of shortage of labour, management offered to pay slightly higher wages to new recruits. During the first four months of 1978, 13,880 working days were lost in 9 stoppages.
8.
It is perhaps too early to say whether these events, together with the various instances of activism on the part of certain grades within the Civil Service, represent a departure from past behavioural patterns although, historically, disputes and work stoppages tended to increase when better economic conditions prevailed. Our observation is that too many disputes arise because of or have been worsened by management ineptitude in the private sector: the two cases quoted in paragraph 7 above are examples. What is certain, too, is that employees in the private sector as well as civil servants are becoming much more versed in using the media to their advantage, and the trend of increased media involvement in trade disputes is now well established here.
9.
However, good sense and reason still prevailed among a vast majority of the disputants. Coupled with the patience and tolerance of our conciliation officers in the Labour Department, all disputes were speedily resolved without recourse to the "stepped" provisions of the Labour Relations Ordinance. Statistics for recent years are:
Year
Trade disputes
Claims dealt with
Strikes
Working days lost*
Estimated working days
lost
per
1,000 employees
1971/72
130
4,399
41
22,204
16.2
1972/73
113
4,208
44
42,815
32.5
1973/74
87
4,853
40
37,063
34.5
1974/75
114
6,181
17
7,227
7.2
1975/76
114
6,272
16
17,615
12.7
(change in reporting period)
1976
136
1977
145
6,026 7,226
14
4,977
3.2
36
10,139
6.3
* in strikes only
in strikes and lockouts
ONFIDENTIA!
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