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Employment

ensure the quality of its training courses, and that the courses are recognised under the Qualifications Framework.

Continuing Education Fund (CEF)

The government's CEF subsidises continuing studies for adults. On completion of a CEF approved course, eligible applicants receive reimbursement of 80 per cent of the fees paid, capped at $10,000 per person. More than 33,000 applications to open CEF accounts were approved in 2013.

Labour Relations

In 2013, the Labour Department's Labour Relations Division handled 70 trade disputes and 17,515 employment claims. The total was 7.4 per cent lower than 2012. In cases where the department provided conciliation services, more than 70 per cent were settled. The department handled seven strikes which resulted in a loss of 13,437 working days (12,700 working days were attributed to a single strike taken place between March and May), or an average loss of 4.15 working days per 1,000 salaried employees and wage earners. Despite this, Hong Kong's number of working days lost due to strike remains one of the lowest in the world.

The Labour Department promotes the Employment Ordinance, good labour management and family-friendly employment practices through various activities such as seminars, talks, an online quiz and roving exhibitions. Information is also disseminated through free publications, the internet and the media.

To foster tripartite dialogue and co-operation at the industry level among employers, employees and the government, the department has set up nine industry-based committees (covering catering, construction, theatre, logistics, property management, printing, hotel and tourism, cement and concrete, and retail). These committees provide effective forums for members to discuss issues of common concern to their industries.

The department has also established 18 human resources managers' clubs. Experience-sharing sessions and briefings are held for members to promote enlightened management practices and effective employer-employee communication.

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 2013, 14 new unions were registered, bringing the number of registered trade unions to 858, comprising 809 employee unions, 18 employers' associations and 31 mixed organisations of employees and employers. There are also eight registered trade union federations. Declared membership of employee unions over the past five years has remained at around 760,000. The trade union participation rate (the percentage of salaried employees and wage earners who are union members) was around 23 per cent for the same period.

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