YPPER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TLEGRAM NUMBER 164
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
.12 MARCH 1970.
21
CANFIDENTIAL
YOUR TELEGRAM 137: NIGHT WORK FOR WOMEN.
INFORMATION REQUESTED IS AS FOLLOWS.
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51
131
4KK5/3
A) ON THE NIGHT OF 28 FEBRUARY 1970 389 WOMEN SUPERVISORS WERE
ACTUALLY EMPLOYED IN 35 FACTORIES. ALTOGETHER 927 SUPERVISORS ·
HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED FOR NIGHT WORK IN THESE 35 FACTORIES TO ALLOW
FOR ROTATION, STATUTORY REST DAYS, PREGNANCY, SICKNESS, AND
ABSENTEEISM.
(B) TWELVE APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED, EIGHT BEFORE 1ST
MARCH AND FOUR SUBSEQUENTLY. NONE HAS BEEN GRANTED.
TWELVE
ARE UNDER CONSIDERATION. ALL APPEAR LIKELY TO SATISFY THE
CONDITIONS IMPOSED AND TO BE APPROVED SUBJECT TO INSPECTIONS
AND THE NECESSARY FORMALITIES BEING COMPLETED SATISFACTORILY.
(C) APPROXIMATELY 1,400 EMPLOYEES ARE INVOLVED IN THE TWELVE
APPLICATIONS.
D) WINE APPLICATIONS RELATE TO TEXTILE FACTORIES AND THREE
TO ELECTRONICS FACTORIES, THE NINE TEXTILE FACTORIES PROPOSE
TO EMPLOY ABOUT 1,080 AT NIGHT, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF WOMEN
EMPLOYEES IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IS AT PRESENT 114,181.
THE PERCENTAGE TO BE EMPLOYED AT NIGHT AS A RESULT OF THESE
APPLICATIONS IS THEREFORE ABOUT 9.9% (R) 0.9% OF ALL WOMEN
EMPLOYEES IN THE INDUSTRY.
SIR D. TRENCH
FILBO
H.K.D.
MR. WILFORD
O.L.A.
COPIES TO:
4 COPIES U.N.D.
CONFIDENTIAL