ENG-2009 — Page 180

128 Employment

arrangement during the economic downturn. By the end of the year, over 504 000 applications had been approved under the CEF.

Labour Relations

In 2009, the Labour Department's Labour Relations Division handled 143 trade disputes and 24 305 employment claims, or 19 and 18 per cent up on 2008. A total of 71.5 per cent were settled through conciliation. There were seven work stoppages during the year, resulting in a loss of 1 080 working days, or an average loss of 0.36 working days per 1 000 salaried employees and wage earners. The average loss of working days per 1 000 employees and wage earners in Hong Kong is among the lowest in the world.

The Labour Department organises a wide variety of activities such as talks, seminars and exhibitions to enhance public understanding of the Employment Ordinance. It also produces free publications for the public. Information is disseminated through the department's website and the media.

The department promotes tripartite dialogue at the industry level by setting up committees comprising employers, employees and labour officials. The department has set up nine tripartite committees to deal with employment matters concerning the catering, construction, theatre, logistics, property management, printing, hotel and tourism, cement and concrete, and retail industries.

At the enterprise level, the department promotes good labour management practices and effective communication between employers and employees. Eighteen human resources managers' clubs have been established. During the year, experience-sharing sessions and briefings were organised for members.

To assist employees in maintaining a balance between work and family. responsibilities, the department promotes family-friendly employment practices (FFEP) through seminars, exhibitions and other activities. A booklet on good people management and FFEP was published during the year to encourage wider adoption of such practices at the workplace. The department also held a seminar on the subject which was attended by representatives of

attended by representatives of employer and employee organisations, business executives and human resources management practitioners.

Trade Unions

The Registry of Trade Unions administers the Trade Unions Ordinance and promotes good and responsible trade union management. Once registered, a trade union becomes a body corporate and enjoys immunity from certain civil suits.

In 2009, 22 new unions were registered, bringing the number of registered trade unions to 812 (comprising 768 employee unions, 18 employers' associations and 26 organisations comprising employees and employers). There are also four registered trade union federations. Declared membership of employee unions over the past five years has remained at around 680 000. The trade union participation rate was around 21 per cent over the same period.

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