ENG-2010 — Page 174

128 Employment

In July 2009, a total of $1.2 billion was injected into the fund as a special one-off arrangement because of the economic downturn. By the end of December 2010, over 548 000 applications had been approved under the CEF.

Labour Relations

In 2010, the Labour Department's Labour Relations Division handled 68 trade disputes and 20 434 employment claims, or 52 and 16 per cent down on 2009. A total of 72.9 per cent were settled through conciliation. There were three work stoppages during the year, resulting in a loss of 329 working days, or an average loss of 0.11 working days per 1000 salaried employees and wage earners. The average loss of working days per 1 000 salaried 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 and co-operation at the industry level by setting up committees for the catering, construction, theatre, logistics, property management, printing, hotel and tourism, cement and concrete, and retail industries. These nine committees, comprising employers, employees and labour officials, provide an effective forum for discussion on industry-specific issues of mutual concern.

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 exhibitions and other activities. To encourage more employers to adopt FFEP, a video to showcase exemplary employers was produced during the year for public distribution. The video was broadcast during various promotional activities.

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 2010, 18 new unions were registered, bringing the number of registered trade unions to 824 (comprising 780 employee unions, 18 employers' associations and 26 organisations comprising employees and employers). There are also seven registered trade union federations, including three registered in 2010. Declared membership of employee unions over the past five years has remained at around 700 000. The trade union participation rate was around 22 per cent over the same period.