ENG-1976 — Page 74

EMPLOYMENT

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Of the 367 unions on the register at the end of the year, 311 were employees' unions with an estimated membership of 362,600; a further 44 were organisations of merchants or employers with an estimated membership of 4,850; and 12 were mixed organisations with an estimated membership of 6,000.

Labour Administration and Services

The Labour Department, including the mines division, has an establishment of 1,002 to provide services which are continually expanding. The branch offices in the urban areas and the New Territories, all within easy access to the public, play a significant role in dealing promptly with labour matters.

The Commissioner for Labour is the principal adviser to the government on labour matters. He is also the Commissioner of Mines.

Labour legislation is initiated in the Labour Department, which also ensures that Hong Kong's obligations under international labour conventions are observed. The department is made up of nine divisions: administration, apprenticeship, develop- ment, employment, industrial health, training council, industry, labour relations, and mines.

The Labour Relations Ordinance which became effective on August 1, 1975 has provided machinery for special conciliation, voluntary arbitration and boards of inquiry for the settlement of trade disputes in the event of failure to bring settlement through ordinary conciliation. Since the ordinance came into operation, practically all of the 177 trade disputes have been settled by ordinary conciliation. It has not yet been found necessary to invoke special conciliation or to refer any trade dispute to arbitration or a board of inquiry.

In 1976 the labour relations service dealt with 6,162 labour problems, most of which were of a grievance nature involving individuals with claims for wages in arrears, severance payment, wages in lieu of notice, and holiday pay. There were 15 work stoppages and the number of working days lost in these disputes was 4,751, compared with 17,600 in 17 work stoppages in 1975.

The Labour Tribunal, which is part of the Judiciary, has functioned with success since its inception in March 1973. The tribunal complements the labour relations service and in no way supersedes the existing conciliation services of the Labour Department. During 1976 the tribunal dealt with 1,880 cases involving employees as claimants and a further 102 cases in which the claims were initiated by employers. More than $2.3 million was awarded by presiding officers. Of the cases dealt with by the tribunal, 94 per cent were referred from the labour relations service after un- successful conciliation attempts.

By the end of the year, the Labour Department had record of 58 formal joint consultative committees in 25 establishments, compared with 54 committees in 24 establishments in 1975. In addition, 61 firms are recorded as having some method of informal consultation. Most are working smoothly and achieving the object of bring- ing management and employees together to improve relationships and to allow each to benefit from the experience of the other. Similar committees established in certain