ENG-1954 — Page 48

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

Union Section also gave lectures at a boys' college and to a Teachers' Refresher Course at a Regional Seminary.

The most important part of the trade union educa- tion programme consisted of the classes on basic trade union problems started late in 1953. At the end of September, 1954, 27 unions had participated in these classes and several had joined in more than one of the series. As this form of education reaches the rank and file of union members, its importance cannot be over-emphasized and the series of classes have been reorganized with an improved syllabus and two women teachers have been included in the panel of lecturers. By the end of the year 19 trade unions had enrolled for the new series, 18 of which had not previously participated.

For the third successive year representatives from trade unions in Hong Kong attended the I.C.F.T.U. college in Calcutta for a three months' study course in trade unionism. The I.C.F.T.U. also organized two training classes in the Colony during the summer, the first of which was reasonably successful.

Collective Agreements

Although a number of agreements are in force and are working satisfactorily, no new agreement was negotiated during the year. Attempts were made to negotiate an agreement at the Fung Keong Rubber Manufactory Ltd., the largest and oldest rubber factory in the Colony, but they were not successful. The demands from the workers would have increased labour costs by at least 50% in a concern already paying the highest wages in a highly competitive industry.

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