ENG-2000 — Page 177

EMPLOYMENT

the People's Republic of China. The HKSAR also participated in regional activities. of the ILO, under the name 'Hong Kong, China'.

Trade Unions

Trade unions must be registered under the Trade Unions Ordinance (TUO), which is administered by the Registrar of Trade Unions. Once registered, a trade union becomes a body corporate and enjoys immunity from certain civil suits.

During the year, 18 new unions and two trade union federations were registered. At the end of the year, 638 unions (comprising 594 employees' unions, 25 employers' associations, and 19 mixed organisations of employees and employers) and two trade union federations were registered under the TUO.

About half of the employees' unions are affiliated to the following four major labour organisations registered under the Societies Ordinance: the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (136 affiliated unions), the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council (55 unions), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (47 unions), and the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (45 unions).

Labour Relations

The state of labour relations in Hong Kong remained harmonious. In 2000, the Labour Relations Division of the Labour Department provided conciliation service in 308 trade disputes, an increase of 6 per cent over 1999. There were five work stoppages, resulting in a loss of 934 working days. The average loss was 0.31 working day per 1000 wage earners and salaried employees, which is among the lowest rates in the world. During the year, the division handled 28 620 claims for wages and other employment-related benefits or entitlements. This represented a decrease of 10 per cent over 1999. About 62 per cent of the disputes and claims in 2000 were settled through conciliation by the division.

The Labour Department promotes harmonious labour-management relations through a variety of activities such as organising training courses and workshops and disseminating information on labour legislation.

The Workplace Consultation Promotion Unit of the department provides free consultancy services to help employers develop effective machinery for staff communication, consultation and voluntary negotiation. It also promotes tripartite dialogue at the industry level through the setting up of committees comprising representatives of employers, employees and labour officials. With the assistance of the unit, eight tripartite committees have been formed, covering the catering, construction, theatre, warehouse and cargo transport, property management, printing, hotel and tourism, and cement and concrete industries.

The Labour Tribunal

The Labour Tribunal is part of the Judiciary and provides a quick, inexpensive and informal method of adjudicating various types of disputes between employees and employers which are not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board.

In 2000, there were 9 611 cases filed in the tribunal in which 9 376 were initiated by employees and 235 by employers. Of these cases, 97.4 per cent were referred by the

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