ENG-1978 — Page 70

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EMPLOYMENT

Of the 384 unions on the register at the end of the year, 327 were employee unions with an estimated membership of 407,400. A further 42 were merchant or employer organisations with an estimated membership of 4,610, and 15 were mixed organisa- tions with an estimated membership of 5,780.

Labour Administration and Services

The Labour Department has an establishment of 1,219 and its services are con- tinually expanding. Branch offices in the urban areas and the New Territories - all conveniently located - deal promptly with labour matters raised by local employers and employees.

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

The Labour Department initiates labour legislation. It also ensures that Hong Kong's obligations under international labour conventions are observed. The depart- ment is made up of 11 divisions: administration, apprenticeship, development, employment services, employment conditions, industrial health, workmen's com- pensation, training council, industry, labour relations and mines.

The Labour Relations Ordinance, which came into effect in 1975, provides machin- ery for special conciliation, voluntary arbitration and boards of inquiry for settling trade disputes that cannot be resolved through ordinary conciliation. Since the ordin- ance came into operation, most of the 501 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 1978 the Labour Relations Service dealt with 9,462 labour problems, most of which were grievances involving individuals with claims for wages in arrears, severance pay, wages in lieu of notice, annual leave pay and holiday pay. There were 51 work stoppages. The number of working days lost in these disputes totalled 30,927, com- pared with 10,814 in 38 work stoppages in 1977.

ار

The Labour Tribunal, which is part of the Judiciary, has functioned successfully since its inception in 1973. The tribunal complements the Labour Relations Service and in no way supersedes the existing conciliation services of the Labour Department. During 1978 the tribunal dealt with 3,216 cases involving employees as claimants and a further 292 cases in which the claims were initiated by employers. More than $5 million was awarded by presiding officers. Of the cases dealt with by the tribunal, 90 per cent were referred from the Labour Relations Service after unsuccessful con- ciliation attempts.

By the end of the year, the Labour Department had a record of 60 formal joint consultative committees in 25 establishments. In addition, 54 firms were recorded as having some form of informal consultation. Most are working smoothly and are achieving the objective of bringing management and employees together to improve relationships and facilitate communication. Similar committees established in certain government departments have discussed a wide range of administrative, welfare and organisational problems.

A total of 145 special visits were made during the year to employers to promote joint consultation and labour relations. The Code of Labour Relations Practice,