On January 20, 2002, the 12th Annual General Meeting of HKCTU was held. A review of the previous year was followed by the election of the 25-member HKCTU Executive Committee (see below) and intensive discussion of priorities and tasks for the coming year.

Responding to the challenges facing HKCTU's 151,600 members in 58 affiliates, and all working people in Hong Kong, it was determined that the four principles of ‘solidarity', ‘rice bowl', ‘justice' and ‘democracy' should be reasserted with courage and commitment.

As a result of widespread dismissals, several affiliates have suffered the loss of members, especially in enterprise unions, and in the catering, construction, clerical and retail sectors. In these sectors there is serious unemployment, longer working hours and wages in arrears. In addition to this employers have aggressively attacked the union, dismissing of union leaders. This occurred in the Mixer Truck Drivers Association, the Container Truck Drivers Union and the TV Production & Broadcasting Industry Trade Union. In the coming year public sector affiliates face numerous challenges under the government's proposed ‘reforms', involving privatisation, contracting-out and wage cuts.

Faced with the continued economic downturn, rising unemployment and hardship for working people, HKCTU must encourage workers to collectively seek solutions to these problems.

It was resolved that HKCTU affiliates must respond to these challenges, including the recruitment of casual and contract workers and strengthening union power. The Swire Coca Cola Hong Kong Limited Staff Union and the Government Modal 1 Staff General Union provided important examples of this kind of solidarity in the past year. In particular, the Government Employees Solidarity Union provided a good example of how casual and contract workers are organised together with regular workers to consolidate their collective strength. Other unions have responded by setting up branch organisations, such as the cleaning workers' branch established in the Hong Kong Buildings Management and Security Workers General Union in the wake of the ISS cleaning workers' strike. This is an organisational strategy which other affiliates were encouraged to follow. In addition, the growing role of the retraining centres as an organising base was recognised as a key priority in the coming year, as well as the need for more trade union education for members. In the past year 13 affiliates held education programmes for their members, and this will be expanded in the year to come.

It was also concluded that solidarity must not be limited to the local level, but must respond to the destructive competition imposed by globalisation. It was resolved to further strengthen solidarity with workers in other countries to protect all working people from this destructive competition.

A new executive committee was elected at the AGM. Next> Members of the Executive Committee of HKCTU