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Mr. .3. Carter.
Hong Kong - Nightwork for Women.
During Lord Shepherd's visit to Hong Kong in June 1969, Unofficial Members proposed to him that the Commissioner of Labour should be free to exercise his discretion to permit the employment of women at night. There had boen strong pressure for some time to relax the existing prohibition on such employment and this has continued since the visit, with the Administration in Hong Kong stonowalling.
2. There may, however, be some improved basis for a relaxation of our attitude towards this question since draft legislation for an entitlement of four rest days a month is being put
to Executive Council on 2 December for introduction into the Legislative Council on 17 December. This considerable step forward in the conditions of manual and non-manual employment (where monthly wages do not exceed $1,500) taken together with the other improvements in labour legislation enacted or in the pipe-line, opens the way for a reconsideration of our policy. But there will be a need to insist on certain safeguards:-
(a) The whole organisation of factory inspection needa
overhauling and improving. The Governor seeg no objection to a visit to Hong Kong by a highly experienced senfor factory inspector to examine the existing arrangements and report.
(b) There must be arrangements for the rotation of shifts so that no woman can be called upon to work perpetual night shift.
(c) Material conditions in the factories, including lighting,
ventilation, cloanliness, availability of suitable centeen facilities etc. should be examined in respect
of each factory making an application to employ women at night, and conditions brought up to etuniard before the Commissioner of Labour grants approval.
/(a)