YOU
Registry No.
HWB.18/2
8.18/12/155
Top Secret. Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
DRAFT letter froms.
To:-
Type 1 +
S.
From
The Rt. Hon.
Quintin Hogg, Q.C., M.P.
Telephone No. & Ext.
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Department
la Genge Thmuson's absence abound (an eplying t hategask you letter of 7 September,
with which you cudenda
You wrote on 7'September enelosing a file
LA.
Camed of correspondence from Oriental Domestics with
M.
I
and was very What to find
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that you never had a
reply to you Carlier better) 5 December 1966 to the simila Labor; this very long delay & incansable and I Canarly Say Sony Lam about 2 this northjapunate
97499 St.S.
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oversight.
X
whese complaints I must apologise for the
considerable delay in dealing,
•
Mr. Burn's general complaint is that the
contract preferred by the Hong Kong Commissioner
of Labour is over favourable to the worker, and
he adduces legal advice to the effect that a
number of its clauses are ultra vires. The
complaint arises largely from a misunderstanding.
The contract is not one upon which the
Commissioner insists but a Model for which he
thinks the worker would be well advised to press.
The main difficulty arises over the matter
of passages. Mr. Burn complains that an
unscrupulous worker can get himself to this
country a an employer's expense and then walk
out to a better paid position with someone else.
The Ministry of Labour have considered this
matter, and believe that the number of such
cases is very low. A foreign worker who wishes
to change his job must obtain prior permission
from the Ministry and though the Ministry have no
power to compel a man to remain in any particular
job, unreasonable requests for a move are
followed up. The number of such cases may be
even less now as a result of the period of notice
for terminating the contract being increased from
one month to three. (Mr. Burn has already been
T
/informed