HONG KONG STANDARD 141/64
Laban Files
MORE JOIN IN SEEKING SHOPS ACT
A HONGKONG University lecturer and two industrial relations experts last night joined the outcry for a Shops Act to correct injustices for shop employees.
Mr. John Rear, lecturer on constitutional law, wants legislation giving shop workers a right to one rest day a week within the purview of the Holidays Ordinance.
"I would then like to see legislation bringing shop workers within the Sickness Allowance Re- gulations, and so on," he said.
He was one of four panelists discussing "Working Hours for Shop Assistants" in Radio Hongkong's "Talking Point" last night.
The Rev. Patrick McGovern, Chairman of the Industrial Relations Institute, agreed.
He said: "I think legislation is needed to bring everybody into line in a uniform pattern, not uniform for all shops, but uniform within Teach particular trade or type of shop.
'Closing our eyes'
"We cannot expect to have the same con- ditions of employment as in Britain or America straight away, but what I'm objecting to is that we're closing our eyes to this problem and nobody is moving on it."
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He believed it was the duty of the Govern- ment to protect the weak in general.
Miss Margaret Kane, Director of Hongkong| Christian Industrial Committee, felt the proposed legislation should be simple.
"It would have to be something simple enough to be enforceable and would have to have some provision for inspecting and seeing it is enforced," she said.
Colossal problem
But a fourth panelist, Mr. David Goodwin, Government adviser on labour legislation, saw a "colossal problem" of enforcement in Hongkong.
"I don't think it would be possible to do it simply by a Labour Department inspectorate. I think you have got to have something more."
What would be needed was cooperation between the public, employers, and trade unions.;
"None of these factors, as far as I can see, are present in Hongkong today," he said.
The programme was chaired by Mr. James Forsyth.