TNAG-2151-FCO40-3070-Trade-unions-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 27

6.

UNCLASSIFIED

Department of State

PAGE 02 OF 03 HONG K 15353. 88 OF 05 24215OZ

THE PRO-BEIJING FTU.

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7.

BEFORE ITS FORMAL INAUGURATION IN AUGUST, AN INFORMAL ALLIANCE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED

BETWEEN THE CTU AND THE UOHK AS ILLUSTRATED BY THEIR

CLOSE COOPERATION IN STAGING POLITICAL PROTESTS TO

COMMEMORATE THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE JUNE 4

CRACKDOWN. OTHER INDICATORS OF THIS CLOSE

RELATIONSHIP ARE THE OVERLAPPING OF KEY PERSONNEL AND

THE SIMILARITY OF THEIR POLITICAL PLATFORMS. THE

CTU CHAIRMAN LAU CHIN-SHEK, SECRETARY GENERAL SZETO WAH, AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE LEE CHEUK-YAN HAVE SERVED CONCURRENTLY AS LEADING MEMBERS OF THE UDHK EVER SINCE ITS INAUGURATION IN APRIL THIS YEAR. BOTH THE

CTU AND THE UDHK HAVE STATED IN THEIR PLATFORMS THAT

DEMOCRACY IS NECESSARY TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND

SAFEGUARD WORKERS' WELL-BEING.

8. THE UNLON-PARTY ALLIANCE ALLOWS THE CTU TO SERVE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN WORKERS AND LIBERAL ACTIVISTS, WHO ARE PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF INTELLECTUALS AND

PROFESSIONALS. WITH THE FORMATION OF THE ALLIANCE, THE UDHK IS ABLE TO HAVE A REGULAR AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANNEL TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE GRASSROOTS' ASPIRATIONS, THUS ENABLING IT TO ACCURATELY TRANSLATE HIGH-SOUNDING IDEALS OF DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO CONCRETE BREAD AND BUTTER ISSUES, SUCH AS THE DEMAND FOR A SOUND PENSION SCHEME AND THE CALL FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO SCRAP PLANS TO IMPORT WORKERS FROM ABROAD. THE ALLIANCE NOT ONLY ASSURES

THE CTU'S SPONSORSHIP FOR LIKE-MINDED LIBERAL CANDIDATES IN THE 1991 ELECTIONS, IT ALSO PAVES THE WAY FOR THE CTU'S CONSTITUENT MEMBERS TO EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE THEIR ELECTORAL RESOURCES, TIMING AND

OVERALL STRATEGY.

•

9. STRENGTHENING ITS ESTABLISHED INFORMAL COMMUNITY NETWORKS AND SKILLFULLY USING THE MEDIA TO CONVEY ITS POLITICAL MESSAGE ARE IMMEDIATE CONCERNS FOR THE CTV TO ENHANCE ITS POLITICAL INFLUENCE AND PUBLIC RECOGNITION. THE CTU HOPES TO CONSOLIDATE ITS LINKAGES WITH THE GRASSROOTS BY MEANS OF REGULAR

PERSONAL CONTACTS AND BY EXPANDING ITS INFORMAL COMMUNITY NETWORKS THROUGH ITS 25 MEMBER UNIONS AND THE TEN REGIONAL OFFICES RECENTLY SET UP BY THE UDHK. ANOTHER MEASURE TO SOLICIT SUPPORT FROM THE WORKING POPULACE IS TO MAKE USE OF THE MEDIA'S COVERAGE OF ITS DIRECT ACTIONS AND OPEN CRITICISM OF PUBLIC POLICIES. ONE OF ITS PRIMARY OBJECTIVES IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE CTU'S CONCERN FOR THE WORKERS' INTERESTS AND WELL-BEING. EXAMPLES CAN BE FOUND IN

ITS SEPTEMBER 7 PROTEST AGAINST THE DRAFT

IMAGE.

14. THOUGH THE CTU HAS ACKNOWLEDGED IN ITS PLATFORM THAT HONG KONG WILL REVERT TO CHINESE RULE IN 1997 UNDER THE CONCEPT OF "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS", IT HAS SELDOM CLARIFIED ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRC. ITS CHALLENGE TO THE PRO-BEIJING FTU'S COOPERATIVE APPROACH TO LABOR ISSUES, THE ACTIVE ROLE PLAYED BY THE CTU LEADERS IN PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVITIES AND ITS LINK TO THE PRO-TAIWAN TUC MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO BE SEEN AS A FRIENDLY ORGANIZATION TO THE PRC.

15.

MOREOVER, THE ACCEPTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE MAY BE ANOTHER SOURCE OF ANTAGONIZING THE BEIJING AUTHORITIES NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF CHINA'S

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HONG K 15353 00 OF 05 2421502

AVOWED INTOLERANCE OF INTERNATIONAL INTERFERENCE BUT ALSO DUE TO ITS FEARS THAT FOREIGN COUNTRIES MAY TRY TO TURN HONG KONG INTO A SUBVERSIVE BASE.

APPENDIX:

16.

FOLLOWING IS THE LINE-UP OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE CTU:

CHAIRMAN:

VICE

CHAIRMEN:

SECRETARY GENERAL:

A

DEPUTY

SECRETARY GENERAL:

TREASURER:

CHIEF

EXECUTIVE:

INCOMING TELEGRAM

LAU CHIN-SHEK, HEAD OF THE CHRISTIAN INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE (CIC), AN EXECUTIVE Q COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE UNITED DEMOCRATS OF HONG KONG (UDHK) AND A SPOKESMAN OF

THE HONG KONG ALLIANCE IN SUPPORT OF THE PATRIOTIC DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN CHINA. HE HAS OPENLY DECLARED THAT HE HAS NO

INTEREST IN STANDING FOR NEXT YEAR'S

DIRECT ELECTIONS.

LEE KAI-MING, 53, CHAIRMAN OF THE 30,000- STRONG FEDERATION OF HONG KONG AND

KOWLOON LABOR UNIONS (FHKKLU) AND A

FORMER VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BASIC LAW

CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE. HE HAS BEEN

AFFILIATED WITH THE HONG KONG STOREHOUSE

AND TRANSPORT STAFF UNION SINCE 1968. ARMED WITH 20-YEAR LINK WITH THE WORKING POPULACE, HE IS SEEN AS A KEY BINDING FORCE IN THE USUALLY DIVIDED INDEPENDENT LABOR UNIONS. HE HAS NOT SHOWN ANY

INTEREST IN THE 1991 ELECTIONS.

YUEN CHING-BOR, A LEADING MEMBER OF THE HONG KONG EMPLOYEES GENERAL UNION. HE

SELDOM PLAYS AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE

LOCAL POLITICAL SCENE.

LAM KONG-LUN, A KEY FIGURE OF THE TRAFFIC SERVICES EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION.

HE HAS

NOT EXPRESSED ANY INTEREST IN CONTESTING NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS.

SZETO WAH, A LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, A VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE 41, 000-STRONG HONG

KONG PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS' UNION, HEAD OF THE HONG KONG ALLIANCE AND LEADING

MEMBER OF THE UDHK. HE IS SEEN AS A STRONG CANDIDATE FROM THE LIBERAL CAMP

TO STAND FOR THE DIRECT ELECTION TO

- LEGCO.

LEUNG CHAU-TING, A LEADING MEMBER OF THE 18, 000-STRONG FEDERATION OF CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS, HAS NOT INDICATED ANY INTEREST IN NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS.

MICHAEL SIU YIN-YING, CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERATION OF CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS

(FCSU), HAS PLAYED A VERY ACTIVE ROLE IN THE LOCAL LABOR MOVEMENT. BUT HE HAS

NOT EXPRESSED ANY INTEREST IN STANDING

FOR NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS.

LEE CHEUX-YAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE CLOTHING

INDUSTRY WORKERS GENERAL UNION AND A LEADING MEMBER OF THE HONG KONG ALLIANCE,

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