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About Us |
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We are the leading advocate for Hong Kong employers in employment matters to contribute to the success of their businesses and the prosperity of Hong Kong. We achieve this through: Council, Executive Committee & Committees
Representation on Government, Statutory Boards, and Committees
Alliance
Foundation In the early years, the Federation's main role was to help its members learn to deal with growing trade union power. Hong Kong was not immune to the trends sweeping the rest of the industrialised world - and in particular Britain - where confrontation between employers and employees was growing. At that time it seemed to many business leaders that the prosperity of Hong Kong - even its future - was under serious threat from disruptive labour groups. By organising itself into functional groups of like industries, the thought was that companies with the same interests could meet regularly, discuss trends and counter possible threats collectively. Prosperity brings stability During these years and into the early 1980's, the Federation gradually became less relevant. Its meetings took place infrequently and tended to be 'social gatherings for members' as one member puts it today. Even then however, one issue on which members were increasingly strident was Civil Service Pay actually leading instead of following that of the private sector. Changing emphasis More important still, perhaps, we have consciously changed our position in society. We now try to keep a balanced view in advocating and promoting good employment practices. While we vigorously represent employers and our members on issues, we maintain an active dialogue with the Unions to better understand their position. We try to look more roundly at the Community as a whole and achieve our aims through discussion and co-operation rather than confrontation. Revitalisation For, with the rapid creation of wealth at all levels in a more sophisticated society, a serious labour shortage and with the end in sight for colonial rule, conditions were ripe for changes to Hong Kong's free and easy labour laws. During the 1990's the Government came under increasing pressure to regulate employers further and could do little to resist that pressure. It passed a spate of laws affecting every aspect of employment that, while perhaps being overdue in the eyes of international labour experts, nonetheless drove up employers' costs relentlessly. Ready for the future With the help of newly active members, hard-working committees and a dedicated skilled office, the Federation can look forward to building on its long and distinguished history serving the employers of Hong Kong and the Community. The Employers' Federation's prime role is as an advocate and publicist for the views of Hong Kong's employers. It is in this way that we serve our members best. Our limited resources, we feel, should be fully utilised for our main purpose and not merely trying to increase our revenue. We tend to concentrate therefore on the study of topical issues, research and the preparation of position papers, all of which are critical but difficult to quantify. The benefits of the Federation to employers are tremendous. Reducing the effects of (or eliminating altogether) costly labour legislation saves potentially huge cost to employers. Our opinion-gathering activities each year i.e. annual pay reviews have helped to reduce the negative effects of wages inflation. In particular, the Federation offers companies large and small the opportunity to make their views known collectively and anonymously. Policy Advocate In recent years issues to which we have addressed include: - Pay Review It is in our relationship with Government through our seat on the Labour Advisory Board and through the consultation requested by Government on the labour issues above as well as occupational health and safety, for example. The Federation constantly receives information from Government departments seeking our comments on issues, even those not necessarily resulting in formation or modification of a bill. Employment Information Update We also publish for members: - The Guide to Good Employment Practices to help everyone improve labour relations; We are always alert to members' views and preferences and are keen to respond to them. We are very proud of our record and the work we have done and look forward to doing even better in future. Experience Sharing Opportunities Our primary concern for our membership is communication. It is through our publications and networking events that we not only understand our members' views but also tell them of our concerns and the work we have been doing on their behalf. These include for example: - Regular breakfast meetings for CEO's to consider important topical items;
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