TNAG-1519-FCO40-2080-Employment-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 137

INTER..

Mr Powell, HRD

VISER

ZCZC

HMLNAN 1634

CONFIDENTIAL

RR FCOLN

FM HOKON TO FCOLN

14024OZ FEB

GRS 250

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ADVISER

0315

MICK 2.0/

(RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

20 FEB 1986

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

PA

Action Taken

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELNO 461

OF 14024OZ FEBRUARY 86

5788

8381.

FOR SMITH, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ADVISER, FROM BRIDGE,

COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR:

ILO GENEVA CONFERENCE, 1986.

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR LETTER OF 6 JANUARY 1986 TO PETER WILLIAMS.

YOU HAVE PROBABLY BY NOW RECEIVED HIS REPLY OF 3 FEBRUARY.

WHILE YOU WERE HERE, WE DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF SENDING A TEAM OF THREE ADVISERS FROM HONG KONG TO THE 1986 ILO CONFERENCE

AS PART OF THE U.K. DELEGATION. SINCE THEN SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE AND, SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS, WE PLAN TO CONSULT THE LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD ON NOMINATIONS FOR THE EMPLOYEES' AND EMPLOYERS' REPRESENTATIVES. WE HAVE IN MIND ONE EMPLOYEE MEMBER ELECTED BY TRADE UNIONS, AND ONE EMPLOYER MEMBER NOMINATED BY EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS. THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE REPRESENTED BY DARWIN CHEN WHO WILL BE THE LEADER OF THE TEAM.

YOU MAY WISH TO CONSULT THE CRI AND THE TUC, BUT BEFORE APPROACHING THEM THERE MIGHT PERHAPS BE ADVANTAGE IN SUGGESTING TO THE ILO THAT THEY FIRST INFORM THE CHINESE, AS WAS DONE FOR HONG KONG'S PARTICIPATION IN THE RECENT JAKARTA REGIONAL CONFERENCE. WE WOULD NOT WISH THEM TO FEEL THEY WERE BEING TAKEN BY SURPRISE.

WE SHALL BE MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOU VIEWS SO THAT WE CAN TAKE THE

MATTTR UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH THE LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD,

SINCE IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO GET THE TEAM ORGANIZED.

AKERS-JONES

YYYY

HMLNAN 1634

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