དབང་ལ་.
Fédération Internationale des Travailleurs des Industries
du Textile et de l'Habillement
PRESIDENT:
JOHN E. NEWTON
VICE-PRESIDENT:
K. BUSCHMANN
Internationale Textil- und Bekleidungsarbeiter-Vereinigung
Internationella Textil- och Beklädnadsarbetarefederationen
INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE AND
GARMENT WORKERS' FEDERATION
120 BAKER STREET, LONDON, W.1
GENERAL SECRETARY: J. GREENHALGH to whom all communications should be addressed
TELEPHONE:
WELBICK 1745
TELEGRAM ADDRESS :
WORKINTEX, London, W.1
4
This interpretation is obviously correct, for Mrs. Hart, in a letter to me dated 26th April 1967 says: –
"Now what of the proposed legislation? You have argued, with some
justification, that it is too limited in approach, since it would not appear to be extended to garment workers. I would not dissent from this.”
The Minister therefore agrees that in some industries, the women and young persons must continue to work a 10-hours day, in spite of the introduction of new labour legislation.
However, in a document circulated by the Commissioner of Labour in Hongkong to the members of the Labour Advisory Board (at the request of the Executive Council, we find the following:- (Note similarity to Mrs. Hart's letter of April 7th)
6.
In the first instance, hours of work for women and
young persons would be reduced in only those industries already working an 8-hours day, thus bringing legislation into line with current practice. Subsequently, the extent to which an 8-hours day was worked by women and young persons in other industries would be examined and, where it is the common but not the universai practice to work an 8-hours day, hours of work would be reduced to bring all industrial undertakings in those industries in line with common practice. Further, the hours of work of women and young persons in particular industries would be examined with a view to prescribing standard working hours for each day and for each week in accordance with those actually worked by all or by the great majority of undertakings. These standard working hours would not be more than 10 and not less than 8 a day and not more than 60 and not less than 48 a week. Interim arrangements would be made to provide for a transitional period of six months to give particular firms
which did not follow common practice a reasonable time in which to fali in line".
Let us now examine these proposals in detail, taking the first part which is purported as being for the purpose of bringing legislation into line with common practice. As it only applies to those already working an 8-hours day, how can it possibly provide for working hours to be reduced? In other words, the proposal does absolutely nothing to reduce hours of work, nor is it intended to. The next stage again provides for hours of work in those industries where it is the common practice to work an 8-hours day to be reduced to bring all industries in line with common
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