Labour Administration and Tripartitism in Hong Kong: Past and Future

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of Hong Kong’s labour administration since the Second World War. Given the British “voluntaristic” tradition in approaching labour law and industrial relations, the Hong Kong government has historically been less than interventionist in labour sector activities. In recent years, the government has adopted increasingly interventionist policy measures in such areas as manpower training and wage regulation. These are, however, fragmentary, sporadic, and retroactive in nature. Although a tripartite machinery for labour policy consultation and formulation has already been in existence in Hong Kong, it is nonetheless sustained feebly in a docile fashion under the auspices of the Labour Advisory Board. There is hence a case for this system of “tripartitism” to be revitalised and upgraded in order that labour administration can become a more creditable and integrated aspect of the government’s long-term agenda on public and economic policies. The need for such a policy strategy looks especially imminent for two reasons. The first is that a social partnership among the government, labour, and management is consolidating in almost in all industrialised societies, including the Asian NIEs. The second consideration is that official regulation of manpower, employment, and wages is becoming an increasingly important tool for the government’s expanding role in managing and steering the economy towards stable growth.

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Sek-hong Ng

Ng Seh-hong is Senior Lecturer in Management Studies at the University of Hong Kong.