ENG-1948 — Page 31

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fixing machinery, on seamen's articles of agreement, and unemployment indemnity in case of shipwreck. Legislative measures which affect labour directly or indirectly are contained in the Factories and Workshops Ordinance, 1937; the Employers and Servants Ordinance, 1902; the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance, 1915; the Female Domestic

Domestic Service Ordinance, 1923; the Industrial and Reformatory Schools Ordinance, 1932; and the Trade Unions and Trade Disputes Ordinance, 1948.

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Legislation in various stages of preparation includes Workmen's Compensation Ordinance, Regulations to the Boilers Ordinance, 1909, and an Ordinance to regulate special systems of recruitment and contracts for service of manual workers.

Labour Organisation.

The Trade Unions and Trade Disputes Ordinance, 1948 came into operation on April 1st, 1948. While before that date there were of course many labour unions, the Ordinance has given both to them and to employers' associations a definite legal status. The change-over from the old guild system has been accelerated, and in many cases what were purely social and benevolent clubs of masters and workers combined are now labour unions and employers associations clearly distinguished, though there are still many of the old type guilds in existence. Before the Ordinance came into force, all the known unions were invited to send representatives to the Labour Office and the provisions of the Ordinance were fully discussed.

Registration began in June and by the end of December, 97 labour unions and 17 employers' associations had been registered, and applications from 83 labour unions and 60 employers' associations were outstanding. For a Colony, even with the large population of Hong Kong, the number of unions: is exceedingly large, but is partly attributable to the excessive duplication of small unions, jealous of their own interests. There have been however a number of amalgamations, and many of the unions are now working more closely together. The in- dustrial unions are making strong progress and it is in this field that the promise of good organisation is more readily shown. It will now be possible to go ahead with plans for trade union education, the development of collective bargaining machinery, and the construction of a sound, democratic and progressive trade union movement. A series of trade union classes has already been held, and on this experience a new series is being drawn up in consultation with the Education Department. There is a long way to go before the unions can be regarded as in any way comparable to those in countries more advanced socially, but a

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