BRIEF FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
HONG KONG
LABOUR MATTERS
1. In February 1968 the Commissioner of Labour announced a wide-
ranging legislative programme of some thirty items, including new
provisions for conciliation, joint consultation, welfare, redundancy
and holidays. of three major Bills in this programme two have now
been enacted. The Employment Act provides greater protection for
wages and makes detailed provision for contracts of service. The
Workmen's Compensation (Amendment) Ordinance improves the provisions
for compensation payments in the event of death or injury. The third
Bill - on industrial relations is still being drafted; its purpose
is to provide machinery for the settlement of trade disputes. Other
recent legislation has protected employees' wages in the event of
an employer's bankruptcy and also established the right of male
workers to four rest-days a month.
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2. The reduction in working hours of women and young persons, now
being phased over four years to a statutory weekly maximum of 48 hours
is in its fourth year, with the working week now reduced from 60 to
5 hours. In order to allow a period of adjustment and to limit the
effects of reduced earnings arising from shorter working hours it
was decided at the same time to increase in stages the permitted
annual limit of overtime from 100 hours to 300 hours over the same
phased period. Thereafter, the intention is to reduce the permitted
annual overtime to its original level of 100 hours as quickly as
possible. At present 270 hours er annum is the upper limit of