The issue of trade union democracy has been the subject of considerable controversy in recent years. The government has pursued a policy designed in part to 'give unions back to their members' and the decline in the numbers of employees joining unions raises the question of whether trade unionism is losing its relevance. This book presents research papers which deal with these issues and reveals how the unions are adopting to legislative and other changes as they enter the 1990s.

Contents:
PART I HONG KONG AFTER THE TRANSITION
1 Hong Kong at the end of the twentieth century: management and labour trends Patricia Fosh, Catherine W. Ng, Ed Snape and Robert Westwood
2 Political and legal parameters for the representation of labour in Hong Kong: change and counter-change Wilson W.S. Chow and Patricia Fosh
3 The future shape of Hong Kong's economy: why high-technology manufacturing will prove to be a myth Howard Davies
PART II LABOUR MARKET ADJUSTMENT AND INEQUALITY IN HONG KONG
4 The market at work: labour market adjustments to the changing environment in Hong Kong William Chan and Wing Suen
5 Income inequality: the impact on the Hong Kong labour force Hon-Kwong Lui
6 Women workers in Hong Kong: narrowing the gender gap Hon-Kwong Lui
7 Immigration in Hong Kong: a source of labour supply Kit-Chun Lan and Pak-Wai Liu
PART III MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG
8 The meaning of work: the reconfiguration of work and working in Hong Kong and Beijing Robert Westwood, Alicia S.M. Leung and Randy K. Chiu
9 Public sector HRM: vision and reality at the Hong Kong Hospital Authority David Thompson, Ed Snape, Clifford Mak Kei-Fung and Coryn Stokes
10 Human resource strategy and business performance : evidence from a survey of multinational firms in Hong Kong Margaret Shaffer, Ed Snape and Frenda Cheung
11 Women-friendly human resource mangement in Hong Kong: concept and practice Catherine W. Ng and Warren C.K. Chiu
12 Women in management in Hong Kong and Beijing: between pragmatism and patriarchy Robert Westwood and Alicia S.M. Leung
13 Entrepreneurial and managerial competencies: small business owner/managers in Hong Kong Theresa Lau, K.F. Chan and Thomas W.Y. Man
PART IV EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION AND TRADE UNIONS IN HONG KONG
14 Government supervision of trade unions in Hong Kong: colonial powers, patterns of enforcement and prospects for change Patricia Fosh, Anne Carver, Wilson W.S. Chow, Ng Sek-Hong and Harriet Samuels
15 Hong Kong trade unions: in search of a role Ed Snape and Andy W. Chan
16 Joint consultationin Hong Kong: employee participation or union exclusion? Andy W. Chan and Ed Snape
PART V HONG KONG IN EAST ASIA
17 Hong Kong in context: employment relations in East Asia Chris Legget

The issue of trade union democracy has been the subject of considerable controversy in recent years. The government has pursued a policy designed in part to 'give unions back to their members' and the decline in the numbers of employees joining unions raises the question of whether trade unionism is losing its relevance. This book presents research papers which deal with these issues and reveals how the unions are adopting to legislative and other changes as they enter the 1990s.

One of the major intentions of the Conservative governments of the 1980s was to redraw the landscape and map of industrial relations. They aimed to achieve this by means of a combination of measures: political initiatives and campaigning; a changed economic and social environment; and most directly a programme of industrial relations legislation that increasingly curtailed the role and influence of trade unions. This book examines the policies and associated legislation directly intended to change union behaviour. It considers origins, purpose, and impact on union behaviour and structures, focusing in particular on the role of ballots as the central mechanism chosen for changing union decision-making. The changes that occurred as a consequence of this legislation are placed in the wider union context and the relative influence of the balloting legislation is assessed against other developments affecting union behaviour, including the strategies adopted by the unions' leaders. It finds the results were not always as intended by the Conservative governments. In a concluding chapter the authors ask whether the framework created in the UK will be an exemplar or exceptional case when compared with developments in other European countries. The book is the result of research carried out over almost a decade by a highly experienced and respected team who base their analysis on interviews, detailed analysis of legislation and union rule books, and a series of indepth case studies. This richly detailed and authoritative book will be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand how the changing framework of labour relations affected changes in union behaviour. The book will thus appeal tostudents and academics working in industrial relations, human resource management, labour law, labour economics, and politics. Employee relations practitioners and policy makers - managers and trade unionists - will also find it useful for increasing their understanding of the purpose and effect of the legislation.