Trade Unions

Trade unions must be registered under the Trade Unions Ordinance (TUO), which is administered by the Registrar of Trade Unions. Once registered, a trade union becomes a body corporate and enjoys immunity from certain civil suits.

During the year, 20 new unions and one trade union federation were registered. At the end of the year, 654 unions (comprising 610 employees' unions, 25 employers' associations, and 19 mixed organisations of employees and employers) and three trade union federations were registered under the TUO.

About half of the employees' unions are affiliated to the following four major labour organisations registered under the Societies Ordinance: the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (143 affiliated unions), the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council (52 unions), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (52 unions), and the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (48 unions).