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Contents
Unit 1:Theoretical aspects of labour relations Unit 2:Environmental influences Unit 3:Main actors & ideologies in labour relations Unit 4:Common law, ILC & legal employment conditions Unit 5: Wage determination & industrial conflict Unit 6: Human rights in workplace & contemporary issues
Unit 2
Environmental Influences
Environmental Influences
The influences include:
The political background The technological influence The economic framework The socio-cultural framework
The rate of Chinas investment in Hong Kong has increased rapidly since 1984.
P31)
HK is a society with little political organization HK has been run by a bureaucracy dominated by British expatriates (or a paternal civil service elite) The government has focused on economic development Political development was neglected until after the mid-80s The main channel of getting public feedbacks & opinions was the City & New Territories Administration & other administration boards & committees (e.g. )
The China factor and the effects of the 1967 riot (P9)
The Confrontation of 1967 between the leftist unions and the colonial government marked a turning point in the development of labour relations and social policies in Hong Kong.
From then on the colonial government began to intervene more in labour relations. One example is the strengthening of the Labour Department to deal with employer-employee issues and formulation of labour legislations.
The industries (especially the SM&E) have not been too keen to invest in advanced technologies because of market fluctuations
Semi-skilled jobs were also lost due to relocation of factories to China Weakened the power of trade unions due to changes in work customs & practices More lower-skilled jobs disappeared due to transformation from manufacturing to service industry
Fast-buck mentality The competitive pressures in such an open economy encourage people to make quick profits whenever possible. The majority of investors have a short time horizon of three years
2. Market Segmentation
To cope with uncertainties, the employment market in Hong Kong can be broken down into two sectors:
i) Primary sector relatively stable & steady markets such as the service industry (communication, education, transportation..) e.g. government, public utilities ii) Secondary sector those of low-pay, unstable, poorer working conditions, closely supervised, high turn-over jobs
Intervention by government should be minimal in this system, The government only intervenes to ensure HK adjust itself to changing circumstances.
A motto of maximal support & minimal interference (Richard Wong)
According to recent study, among all other compensation components, cash remains king in the Chinese society.
Changing society The new generation of Hong Kong are more educated and they now consider Hong Kong is their home. Traditional and cultural values are now sometimes questioned and political awareness has been aroused significantly.
More and more employees place greater concern on job security/stability, in favour of some form of social insurance and social welfare in work. A more recent study highlights a gap between what employees desire from their employers in terms of commitment and faith on management.
End