Hong Kong workers toward 1997: Unionisation, labour activism and politicalparticipation under the China factor

This essay delineates the three related areas on Hong Kong's labour front, unionisation, labour activism and political participation, which have been transformed by the new China factor of 1997 sovereignty retrocession and ec onomic integration. During the last two decades, the decolonisation-democra tisation processes have rapidly politicised organised labour to such an ext ent that political unionism displaced social unionism as the hallmark of th e Hong Kong labour movement. Yet, under the impact of economic recession an d restructuring with high unemployment and wage freeze, the struggle for li velihood concerns may become the bedrock for labour activism in China's Hon g Kong into the 21st century.