In the dockers' striving for improved remuneration this time, things have developed in a negative direction for many days. To ensure operation, the employer has sought a court order to restrict workers on strike from entering the private areas of the dock. In addition to moving their strike venue, workers insisted on their action which drew the support of people from other sectors. The government stepped in on Thursday but because of some minor details in arrangement, the employees and employer could not negotiate for a solution "at the table".

Put down personal prejudice and forget about political speculations

The expansion of a labour dispute has drawn much speculation. Some have associated it with recent political disputes, using them as the background of the incident. Such speculations make people become dubious , without any positive role in resolving the existing conflict.

From the angle of the workers, the grassroots are living under pressure, things like stopping work or going on strike mean having no income. Even if they are aided by the workers' union, it cannot be a long-term affair. Originally hoping to have incomes increased, now they feel the pain before seeing the benefits. From the angle of the company, subcontracting is to raise efficiency. The strike affects operation and damages its reputation. It will not be easy to be accountable to the shareholders. If the strike continues, the customers and various sectors will be affected. Whoever is at fault, both the employer and employees can become the target of public criticism. Saying that the confrontation can result in multiple losers is by no means an exaggeration .

The origin of a labour dispute is mostly due to differences in distribution of interest . But as the dispute continues, it can cause people to act rashly, making them look bad, or look at the opponent's intentions in an overly complex manner, leading to a loss of trust. As a result, their stances will drift further apart. At this time, if a middleman can play the role of the arbiter and enhance communication between the two sides to establish the foundation for negotiation, it will help reduce the emotional elements and a return to rational negotiation which will finally eliminate the struggle.

Amongst the developed economies, Hong Kong's labour relations have always been good. It is mainly due to both sides using consensus as the foundation of negotiation instead of putting up a struggle. Even when there were occasional labour disputes, they were under the premise that social interest would not be affected. Under most situations, they were settled in a short time. Such rational relationship of co-existence has allowed Hong Kong to have better balance than the West in economic development and safeguarding the workers' income.

Thinking in other people's shoes favours consensus building

A detailed look at the current labour dispute will show that the terminal company that subcontracts has become the workers' negotiation target. The fact is that the company has long since been listed and become a business trust; most of its share rights are being held by funds and shareholders. The operation of the company is mainly done by professional managers. The managers have first to be accountable to the shareholders. Their responsibility is to ensure proper operation. There is no need to care about other political issues. Being able to resolve the labour dispute early under reasonable conditions and having the docks resume normal operation are their primary tasks.

If the managers can show understanding of the pressure faced by workers living under high inflation, from a different angle and if the workers can also understand the duties of the dock managers, the chances of reaching an agreement through peaceful bargaining will be higher. Now it is said that the two parties have made contact through a middleman. Hopefully, it will show the opportunity for positive development in resolving the situation.