Confederation of Trade Unions
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) (香港職工會聯盟) is a pro-democracy labour and political group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1990. The group is headed by President Lau Chin-shek and General Secretary Lee Cheuk-yan, and has 160,000 members in 61 affiliates (mainly trade unions in various sectors).
The principles put forward by the HKCTU are "Solidarity, Rice Bowl, Justice and Democracy". The group focuses on the rights and interests of workers, and the development of a democratic political system in Hong Kong. It calls for the right to collective bargaining and protection against dismissals for involvement in trade union activities.
The group is active in the political arena in Hong Kong, and has representation in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) to challenge government policies and push for legal protection of worker and trade union rights. It is one of the two most influential labour groups in Hong Kong. (The other is the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions).
Days before reunification in 1997, with the support of the democratic camp, the HKCTU successfully established statutory rights of collective bargaining of labour unions, which mandate employers to negotiate with labour unions on issues such as salaries, welfare and working hours. Under strong objections from the pro-business sector such as the Liberal Party, the laws were abolished by the Provisional Legislative Council shortly after reunification.
Besides calling for universal suffrage of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and LegCo, the group also supports pro-democracy movement in mainland China, including the struggle for independent trade unions. It participates in a number of human rights and labour rights networks to oppose the alleged suppression of labour movements in mainland China.
Members of HKCTU are pivotal in organizing a number of local protests, including the mass protest of July 1, 2003 to oppose the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law (organized by General Secretary Lee Cheuk-yan under the banner of Civil Human Rights Front), and other protests to struggle for labour rights and democracy in Hong Kong and in Mainland China.
In the 1998 LegCo election, the group is represented by Lau Chin-shek (also a Democratic Party member) and Lee Cheuk-yan (also a member of The Frontier) in the LegCo. But Lau was defeated in the 2000 LegCo election and only the latter remains in the legislative body.
See also: