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). A Special Administrative Region (SAR) (Simplified Chinese: 特别行政区; Traditional Chinese: 特別行政區; pinyin: tèbié xíngzhèngqÅ«; Cantonese IPA: /tɐk6piːt6 hɐŋ4tsɪŋ3kʰɵy1/; Jyutping: dak6bit6 hang4zing3keoi1; Yale: dahkbiht hàhngjingkeÅ«i) is a political subdivision of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is about the year. ... Lau Chin-shek Lau Chin-shek (Chinese: 劉千石, born 12 September 1944) is the President of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and a Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee. ... Lee Cheuk-yan Lee Cheuk-yan (Chinese: 李卓人, born 12 February 1957) is the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

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. ăūŞÛ==History== The Confederation was established in 1990. Collective bargaining is the process of negotiation between representatives of a union and employers (represented by management) in respect of the terms and conditions of employment of employees, such as wages, hours of work, working conditions and grievance procedures, and about the rights and responsibilities of trade unions. ...

Days before transfer of sovereignty 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 the transfer of sovereignty. 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pro-democracy camp (民主派) is a frequently used jargon by the media and within the academics to refer to the politicians and social activists in Hong Kong who advocate faster pace of democratisation and implementation of universal and equal suffrage. ... Liberal Party (自由黨) is a liberal conservative political party in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Legislative Council Building The Legislative Council of Hong Kong (立法會, abbreviated LegCo) is the legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Members of HKCTU were involved 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 the Civil Human Rights Front of which HKCTU is a member), and other protests to struggle for labour rights and democracy in Hong Kong and in Mainland China. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis (parent statute) of a security law proposed by the Hong Kong Government. ... The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China serves as the constitutional document of Hong Kong. ...

In the 1998 LegCo election, the group was represented by Lau Chin-shek (also a member of Democratic Party and The Frontier) and Lee Cheuk-yan (also a member of The Frontier) in the LegCo. Lau quit the Democratic Party before the 2000 LegCo election, had not renewed the membership of The Frontier before the 2004 election, and did not run under the HKCTU banner in the 2004 election. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Democratic Party (民主黨) is a pro-democracy and liberal, political party in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Frontier (前綫) is a pro-democracy political group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Frontier (前綫) is a pro-democracy political group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Present

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). The Legislative Council (立法會, abbreviated LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) (香港工會聯合會 / 工聯會) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

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. Universal suffrage (also general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of suffrage, or the right to vote, to all adults, without distinction as to race, sex, belief or social status. ... The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Traditional Chinese: 香港特別行政區行政長官; Simplified Chinese: 香港特别行政区行政长官; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dak6 bit6 hang4 zing3 keoi1 hang4 zing3 zoeng2 gun1; pinyin: XiÄ... In this map of China, the light-coloured areas represent Mainland China, while yellow coloured area refers to Taiwan. ...

See also:

• Politics of Hong Kong

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was resumed to Chinese control, when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), ending more than 150 years of British colonial control. ...

External links

• Web site of The HKCTU

 

Political parties and groups in Hong Kong *
Pro-democracy:	April Fifth Action | Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group | Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) | Democratic Party (DP) | Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) | Neighbourhood and Workers Service Centre (NWSC) | The Frontier
Pro-communist / Pro-government:	Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) | Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) | Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (FLU) | Liberal Party (LP) | The Alliance
* Represented in the Legislative Council