Li
Registry
No.
SECU
DRAFT
CLASSIFICATION
To:-
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
CONFIDENTIAL NOTE TUC
r:
Restricted,
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
..In Confidence
HONG KONG
Type 1 +
From
R B JANVRIN
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
1.
Over the past year the plans for labour, social and
institutional reform in Hong Kong for the next five years
have been reviewed both in London and Hong Kong.
Some of the measures resulting from thisreview have already been announced in the last few months; further proposals will be made public in early October and others will remain
unannounced for the time being.
2. The major change already announced has been the expansion of the Legislative Council and the appointment of 7 new Unofficials, to reflect a wider cross-section of opinion in Hong Kong than hitherto. The new appointees include a trade unionist and two others closely associated with the working population in Hong Kong. Payment of allowances to Unofficial Members of the Legislative Counci 1 has been introduced to overcome problems of appointing those without large private means.
3. Important changes in the labour field, which the Hong
Kong Government have announced, are that the number of statutory holidays will be increased from 6 to 10 days a year with effect from 1 January 1977, and that compulsory rest days a year be increased to 52 with effect from the same date.
4.
At the opening session of the Legislative Council in October, the Governor will announce a large number of additional measures to be intorduced over the next few years.
These measures include:-
(a) the introduction of one week's paid annual
leave with effect from 1 January 1978;
(b) improved redundancy payments;
CONFIDENTIAL
/ (c) 138649 Dd.107857 500M 2/76 MFP