Hong Kong

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected, compiled and published by the Labour Relations Division of the Labour Department.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover:

No distinction is made between the different types of strike action.

The definition of strikes excludes political and protest strikes. Working to rule, go-slows and overtime bans are not included.

Minimum threshold At least 10 workers involved or duration of at least one day, unless the aggregate number of working days not worked exceeds 100.

Economic activities

The public sector is not covered in the published statistics. Data on public sector strikes are collected separately by the Civil Service Branch and the government departments concerned.

Workers

Workers directly involved only, i.e. those who actually ceased work in the economic unit involved. As well as regular paid employees, including part-time workers, the statistics cover temporary, casual and seasonal workers. Unpaid family workers are not included, nor are workers laid off, or workers absent on sick or annual leave or absent for any other reason.

No particular occupational groups in the private sector are excluded.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Stoppages of work

The published statistics refer to industrial work stoppages or stoppages of work, but no definition of these terms is available; the statistics include stoppages of work due to strikes, and also include lockouts.

Strike

The cessation of work by a body of persons employed acting in combination, or a concerted refusal, or a refusal under a common understanding, of any number of persons employed to continue to work for an employer in consequence of a dispute, done as a means of compelling their employer or the employer of any other person or body of persons, or any person or body of persons employed, to accept or not to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment.

Lockout

The closing of a place of employment, or the suspension of work, or the refusal by an employer to continue to employ any number of persons employed by him in consequence of a dispute, done with a view to compelling those persons, or to aiding another employer in compelling persons employed by him, to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment.

These definitions come from the Trade Unions Ordinance, Chapter 332, Section 2.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike or lockout is the case of dispute in an economic unit. The continuation of a strike or lockout that is interrupted but later resumes, still due to the same case of dispute, is treated as the same strike or lockout.

Work stoppages arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously or at different times in different establishments of the same enterprise are counted as one strike or lockout. Those resulting from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously or at different times in different enterprises are counted as different strikes or lockouts.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the employer, defined as any person who has entered into a contract of employment to employ any other person as an employee (Employment Ordinance, Cap. 57). The economic unit may refer to the establishment, the firm or the enterprise.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is the reported number of absences on strike or involved in a lockout in the economic unit or establishment involved, i.e. the number of workers who actually ceased work at the establishments where the dispute occurred. Part-time workers are counted as individuals on the same basis as full-time workers.

Duration

The duration is measured in workdays or work shifts from the date the strike or lockout began to the date it terminated in the economic unit involved.

Time not worked

Total time not worked, in workdays, is generally measured as the product of the number of workers involved and the duration. If the reported number of absences increases, total time not worked is measured by ascertaining the total amount of time not worked on each day of the strike or lockout, and summing these totals. The shorter working hours of part-time workers are taken into account, by making adjustments in proportion to the normal hours of work of a full-time worker. Overtime work is not taken into account.

Classifications

Outcome of dispute

Branch of economic activity

The data are classified by branch of economic activity using the International Standard Industrial Classification. If many industries are involved, as in the case of general strikes, the establishments involved are classified according to the relevant industries.

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled and published for periods of a year. They refer to work stoppages ending during the particular reference period only.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Bibliographic references

Labour Department: Annual Departmental Report.

Information Services Department: Hong Kong Annual Report.

Census and Statistics Department: Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics.

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes and lockouts, the number of workers involved, the number of days not worked and rates of days not worked, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is no legal obligation to report the occurrence of a strike or lockout. Information about strikes and lockouts is obtained through: