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Domestic Item No.8
52
DISCUSSIONS WITH SIR DAVID TRENCH
GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
NOVEMBER. 1969
Labour Legislation
The Governor has said that he wishes to "report progress" Since early 1968 when Hong Kong embarked on a wide-ranging
programme of 30 legislative measures sponsored by the Labour Department a number of items have been enacted, including one major piece of legislation the Employment Ordinance. Many
others are in draft and four are expected to come forward in
the present session of the Legislative Council namely:-
A
(a) a bill to enlarge the scope and benefits of the
Workmen's Compensation Ordinance;
(b) an Apprenticeship Bill;
(c)
(a)
legislation to establish better priorities for employees' earned wages when a firm is forced into liquidation or goes bankrupt;
an amendment to the Employment Ordinance enabling workers to take, if they wish,
four rest days each month without breach of their terms of employment.
A relevant extract from the Governor's address to the opening meeting of Legislative Council in October is attached.
2. The Governor may also wish to establish that Hong Kong has
done all that could be done towards carrying out the four
measures of labour legislation on which Lord Shepherd wished to see substantial progress before any action was taken to grant selective exemptions under the Factories and Industrial Undertaking Ordinance for the employment of adult women on nightwork. He has asked whether he can now proceed to grant selective exemptions.
3.
The four measures to which Lord Shepherd referred were:- (1) four voluntary rest days a month for male workers
in industry;
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