TNAG-1076-FCO40-1326-Journalists-from-the-New-China-News-Agency-(NCNA)-in-Hong-Ko-1981 — Page 11

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REPORT ON THE VISIT TO WALES BY MR BUN-YUEN WONG, JOURNALIST, NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY, HONG KONG, 15 17 JANUARY 1981

Mr Wong is a keen, diligent and polite journalist. His command of the English language was not sufficient to cope with the strange accents and industrial vernacular which he came across. This slowed down interviewing and no doubt some points were not understood. Considerable debriefing was needed after each interview to ensure BY (as he liked to be called) had a good understanding of the discussion, and some further data has been sent on to him.

The Information Officer of British Steel Corporation's Port Talbot Works told the visitor how BSC's survival plan meant the running of Port Talbot and the Llanwern works at half capacity, and the manning reduced at Port Talbot from an 18,000 maximum to just over 5,000 with the latest agreement. The Port Talbot works, BY was told, is in a strong position for future increase in output when the continuous casting machinery is commissioned in 1982. Already an increase in output is predicted for 1981 a sign, perhaps, of the long awaited upturn in the economy.

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The Trade Union Chairman of the Port Talbot Works Council emphasised the fact to the visitor of the excellent labour relations at the works and that the demanning figures (mentioned earlier) were the result of realistic and responsible Trade Unionism. The Chinese method of running factories with worker committees, as the Chairman understood the method, were in his opinion unworkable and added that Chinese entrepreneural skills should be liberated to achieve more rapid industrial development - he quoted Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore as prime examples of Chinese led business development.

The Colliery visit enabled BY to collect statistical information from the manager on, particularly, output per manshift, total output per annum and value of saleable output. He also learnt about stocking of unsaleable coal another sign of the times. It was not the visitor's first visit to a coal face, but he had never seen such a highly mechanised mine.

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