ENG-1957 — Page 72

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

in the enamelling section occurred and the factory had to suspend operations. The management kept other workers in the factory (about equal in number to those in the enamel- ling section) on half pay for two weeks.

Numerous meetings were held in the Labour Department in an endeavour to reach a settlement between the manage- ment and the workers, but both sides refused to compromise and no success had been achieved by the end of the year, by which time man-days lost had amounted to 11,040.

H.M. Dockyard. Reference has been made above to retrenchments which affected civilian- employees of the Armed Forces in the Colony, particularly of H.M. Dock- yard. Certain reductions in staff were carried out by the Dockyard Authorities at various times during the year and frequent representations about them were made by repre- sentatives of trade unions concerned, principally to the Dockyard Authorities, but also to the Labour Department. In addition, representations were made concerning a new scheme for the award of retiring gratuities which was introduced in the Dockyard in the early part of the year, and which applied as well to civilian employees in Army and R.A.F. establishments.

On 28th November, 1957, it was announced that H.M. Dockyard would be closed down gradually over the next two years. At the same time it was stated that the Dockyard Authorities and the Hong Kong Government would en- deavour to assist in finding other work for the employees concerned, the number of which was slightly under 5,000. An Employment Advisory Committee representative of the Hong Kong Government, the Dockyard and local employers was set up by the Commissioner of Labour and held its first meeting on 2nd December. An Employment Liaison Office was also established, with branches in the Labour Department and H.M. Dockyard, and with staff supplied both by the Government and the Dockyard. The initial work of registration of Dockyard staff for other employment