> Hong Kong's unelected legislature votes out labor rights > > -- October 29, 1997 Web posted at: 5:06 a.m. EST (1006 GMT) -- > > HONG KONG (Reuters) -- Hong Kong's China-anointed legislature on > Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to strike down a set of labor rights > laws, passed by a former colonial assembly in June. > > The Provisional Legislature voted 30 to 14 with six abstentions to > scrap laws on collective bargaining and guarding against anti-union > discrimination. > > The labor laws were adopted under British rule, just one week before > China took control of Hong Kong on July 1. > > Just after the handover, the new Beijing-appointed legislature voted to > freeze the labor laws on grounds that they might make Hong Kong less > competitive. > > The rollback of labor rights was one of a series of moves by the new > Chinese leader Tung Chee-hwa which were seen by pro-democracy advocates > as watering down civil liberties in the territory. > > Prior to the vote, about 50 protesters unfurled huge read banners > outside the legislative council to denounce the debate and vote. > > "Don't strike down our new labor laws," the banners read. > > Two of the laws had allowed collective bargaining and guarded against > anti-union discrimination. The others focused on control of trade union > activities, declared May 1 a statutory holiday and provided compensation > for occupational deafness. > > Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. >
