HKC 212/1 12/1
UNCLASSIFIED PA HK Trade Unions ранк
"Department of State, e geny (
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INFO LOG-80 ADS-80 AID-90 CIAE-80
R 248322Z OCT 98
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0589
INFO RUEHBJ/AHEMBASSY BEIJING
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
UNCLAS HONG KONG 15353
E.0. 12356:
N/A
TAGS:
SUBJECT:
PGOV, ELAB, HK
ELAB.
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THE HONG KONG CONFEDERATION OF TRADE
UNIONS
1. THIS IS THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF REPORTS ON THE HONG KONG POLITICAL SPECTRUM A YEAR BEFORE THE FIRST DIRECT ELECTION TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (LEGGO).
2. SUMMARY: THE HONG KONG CONFEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS (CTU), ESTABLISHED IN AUGUST THIS YEAR, IS A
97,000-MEMBER LABOR ORGANIZATION MAINLY COMPOSED OF INDEPENDENT UNIONS. THE CTU FOUNDERS HOPE TO ESTABLISH A VIABLE AND COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVE IN THE LOCAL LABOR MOVEMENT BY INTEGRATING DIVIDED NON-PARTISAN LABOR UNIONS AND FORGING A CLOSE COOPERATION WITH LOCAL LIBERAL POLITICAL GROUPINGS AND INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATIONS. WITH THE RAPID APPROACH OF THE 1991 ELECTIONS, THE POLITICAL POTENTIAL OF THE CTU APPEARS TO HAVE GATHERED MOMENTUM BY THE FORMATION OF A UNION-PARTY ALLIANCE WITH THE UNITED DEMOCRATS OF HONG KONG (UDHK) STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY NETWORKS AND GETTING PUBLICITY IN THE MEDIA, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A GRAND LABOR COALITION WITH INDEPENDENT AND PRO-TAIHAN UNIONS TO COORDINATE ELECTORAL EFFORTS AND, AT THE SAME TIME, COUNTERACT THE INFLUENCE OF ITS LEFT-WING COMPETITOR, THE FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS (FTUL THUS, THE 1991 ELECTIONS WILL BECOME A TEST FOR THE VIABILITY OF THE UNION-PARTY ALLIANCE. AND A CONTEST FOR INFLUENCE, STRENGTH AND CREDIBILITY OF THESE TWO OPPOSING CAMPS IN THE LOCAL LABOR ARENA. FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, INADEQUATE COMMITMENT OF ITS CONSTITUENT MEMBERS, CONFUSING ROLE OF ITS LEADERS AND BEIJING'S SUSPICION OF ITS INTERNATIONAL LINKAGE AND CHALLENGE TO LOCAL LEFT-WING TRADE UNIONS, HOWEVER, MAY HINDER THE CTU FROM EVOLVING INTO A STRONG FORCE IN THE LOCAL LABOR ARENA. END SUMMARY.
HISTORICAL & POLITICAL CONTEXT:
3.
TRADITIONALLY, HONG KONG'S LABOR MOVEMENT HAS BEEN SPLIT BETWEEN THE PRO-BEIJING 170,000-STRONG FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS (FTU! AND THE PRO-TAIWAN 30,000-STRONG TRADE UNION COUNCIL (TUC). IN
Hove Kore
INCOMING VELEGRAM
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ADDITION, THE FTU'S APPROACH 10 LABOR ISSUES WAS CHARACTERISED BY A COOPERATIVE ATTITUDE WITH MANAGEMENT. FOR ITS PART, THE TUC ADOPTED A PASSIVE APPROACH DUE TO ITS AGING LEADERSHIP AND DECLINING MEMBERSHIP, RESULTING FROM JOB MOBILITY AND ITS AFFILIATION WITH THE TAIWAN AUTHORITIES CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOCAL LABOR MOVEMENT PREVENTED THE EMERGENCE OF A COHESIVE, ARTICULATE AND WELL-ORGANIZED LABOR FORCE SEEKING TO PROMOTE THE
INTERESTS OF WORKERS.
THESE
4. IN AUGUST THIS YEAR, A GROUP OF 25 INDEPENDENT UNIONS, COMPRISING ABOUT 97,000 MEMBERS, BANDED TOGETHER TO SET UP THE CTU IN A BID TO FORM AN. INDEPENDENT LABOR BODY THAT WOULD FUNCTION AS A MORE AGGRESSIVE ADVOCATE OF WORKERS' RIGHTS. IN COMPARISON WITH THE FTU AND TUC, THE CTU DIFFERS STRIKINGLY IN TERMS OF SOCIAL COMPOSITION AND
EMPHASES. THE TWO TRADITIONAL LABOR FEDERATIONS ARE MAINLY MADE UP OF MANUAL WORKERS AND THE LOW LEVEL STRATUM IN THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR, SUCH AS CLERKS AND SECRETARIES. THE CTU, HOWEVER, EMBRACES EMPLOYEES ACROSS A MUCH WIDER SPECTRUM OF OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS. ITS MEMBERSHIP NOT ONLY INCLUDES YORKERS SERVING IN A VARIETY OF MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCIAL SECTOR, BUT ALSO INCLUDES CIVIL SERVANTS, SOCIAL WORKERS AND TEACHERS. THE PARTICIPATION OF
SOCIAL WORKERS AND TEACHERS IS MAINLY DUE TO THE CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CTU LEADERS AND THE 500-MEMBER HONG KONG SOCIAL WORKERS' GENERAL UNION AND THE 41,000-STRONG PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS' UNION.
S.
HEADED BY A NUMBER OF VETERAN UNION: STS, THE CTU HAS BROADENED THE METHODS OF INDUSTRIAL ACTIONS BY USING A COMBINATION OF WORK-TO-RULE, SIT-IN AND. HUNGER STRIKE TACTICS. THROUGH A SKILLFUL INCORPORATION OF COOPERATION AND COLLECT VE
BARGAINING, AND AN APPLICATION OF STEADY PRESSURE TO INCREASE PUBLICITY IN THE MEDIA, THE CTU SCORED VICTORY IN EARLY AUGUST WITH THE DECISION OF KOWLOON MOTOR BUS (KMB) TO REINSTATE A DISMISSED DRIVER AND LABOR UNIONIST WHO WENT ON A HUNGER STRIKE AND GAINED THE SYMPATHY OF OTHER DRIVERS AND, MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, THE ATTENTION OF THE MASS MEDIA, THIS EPISODE DEMONSTRATES THAT MORE AGGRESSIVE APPROACH APPEARS TO CONSTITUTE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE PASSIVE AND COOPERATIVE APPROACH OF THE TWO TRADITIONAL LABOR FEDERATIONS.
CTV & THE 1991 ELECTIONS:
6.
THE CTU IS KEENLY AWARE THAT ADVOCACY OF WORKERS' RIGHTS CANNOT TAKE PLACE IN A POLITICAL VACUUM, SPURRED BY THE RISING POLITICAL AWARENESS OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE AND NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS, THE CTU
ADVOCATES DEMOCRATIZATION IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS. THOUGH THE CTU MAINTAINS IT DOES NOT INTEND TO FIELD CANDIDATES IN NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS, IT WILL PLAY AN INFLUENTIAL ROLE IN NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS. ITS POLITICAL POTENTIAL DEPENDS ON ITS ALLIANCE WITH THE UDHK, THE STRENGTHENING OF ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY NETWORK TO SEEK IMPROVED CONTACTS WITH WORKERS, AND AN ATTEMPT TO FORM A GRAND LABOR COALITION WITH LIKE-MINDED UNIONS TO COORDINATE ELECTORAL EFFORTS AND TO COUNTERACT THE INFLUENCE OF
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