Hong Kong (RAE - China) - No collective bargaining in Hong Kong

There is no law in Hong Kong to mandate bargaining or consultation with the trade unions on employment relations and conditions. Consequently, less than one per cent of the employees in Hong Kong are protected by a collective agreement and employers usually refuse to engage in collective bargaining with unions. For example, New World First Bus Company has rejected all talks on increasing the basic salary and shortening working hours, while Citybus Ltd has refused to negotiate trade union leaves, as proposed by the unions. The Hospital Authority has refused to negotiate with the trade union over the grievance procedure. British Airlines in Hong Kong has also refused to open a dialogue with unions. In some cases, trade unions have asked for formal recognition but they remained unsuccessful, as was the case for Vitasoy employees union, which still awaits recognition by the employer. Instead, the CEO of the company has arranged a regular exchange meeting with the employees quarterly.