CONFIDENTIAL
6.
(d) an amendment to the Employment Ordinance, enabling
workers to take, voluntarily, four rest days each month without breach of their terms of employment (Lord Shepherd is anxious to see this enacted).
-
Another substantial item of legislation is in the drafting
stage an Industrial Relations Bill to provide the machinery
for the settlement of disputes not amenable to voluntary con-
ciliation.
7.
Legislation to reduce the maximum hours of work of women and young persons was introduced two years ago; in accordance with a four year phased programme their working week is being reduced from sixty hours to forty-eight hours. This has taken
the heat out of an issue that had aroused considerable
Parliamentary concern and trade union interest in this country.
8. There may be enquiries about the fate of the Illegal Strikes
and Lock-outs draft Bill which has been with us for several
months for our comments. In our view it is likely to be as ineffective as the legislation it is designed to replace (which has never been invoked). We are as yet not agreed here on how
to handle it, although there is no doubt that we could not
recommend acceptance as it is drafted. It is hoped to make
a submission in the course of next week, setting out comments
for despatch to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Department October, 1969
CONFIDENTIAL
Que not wer