ENG-2001 — Page 180

EMPLOYMENT

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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, 20 new unions and one trade union federation were registered. At the end of the year, 654 unions (comprising 610 employees' unions, 25 employers' associations, and 19 mixed organisations of employees and employers) and three 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 (143 affiliated unions), the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council (52 unions), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (52 unions), and the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (48 unions).

Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board

The Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board adjudicates claims under the Employment Ordinance and in accordance with individual employment contracts. The board hears and determines employment claims involving not more than 10 claimants for a sum of money not exceeding $8,000 per claimant.

During the year, the board heard 2 611 cases and made awards amounting to $5.8 million.

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 2001, there were 10 450 cases filed in the tribunal in which 10 363 were initiated by employees and 87 by employers. Of these cases, 95.6 per cent were referred by the Labour Relations Division of the Labour Department after unsuccessful conciliation attempts. During the year, the tribunal dealt with a total of 9 316 cases and made awards amounting to more than $653 million.

Occupational Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the Labour Department administers the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and their subsidiary legislation to protect the safety and health of employees at work in almost all economic sectors.

Enforcement of the legislation is carried out through routine inspections of workplaces and special campaigns. To arouse safety awareness among employers and employees and to facilitate compliance of the law, the department promotes the Occupational Safety Charter, publishes a wide variety of guide books and codes of practice and undertakes other activities such as safety campaigns and awards, exhibitions and seminars.

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