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minimum wage Advisory Board consisting of government officials, employers and trade union representatives. He would prefer the second approach because it would both enhance the status of, and serve to educate, the trade unions, as well as showing the value of trade union membership. The TUC was interested in the introduction of a general minimum wage covering all occupations in Hong Kong rather than a series of minimum wages for different occupations.
A. Lord Goronwy-Roberts said that he would prefer the second approach suggested by Mr Hurst. A floor would have to be set for the minimum wage in order to ensure that it was not pushed down too low. Lord Goronwy-Roberts accepted that the other objectives in the programme might be jeopardised by an early reference to measures concerning a minimum wage, hours of work for adult males and overtime rates and that too precise a reference in the Governor's announcement to such measures would be counter-productive. Nevertheless, he was sure that the Secretary of State would wish to have as early and as concrete a reference as possible to the introduction of a minimum wage while accepting that it should not necessarily be subject to legislation at an early date. Sir M MacLehose said that it was not so much that the Legislative Council would object but that the press and the population generally which would be alarmed. Any early reference to the introduction of a minimum wage would provoke an unholy alliance of the Communists, KMT and the centre which he would not be able to withstand. If all went well he might be able to say in October 1977 that consideration would be given to the introduction of a minimum wage. Mr Hurst observed that the Turner Study of Labour Relations might point the way forward on this matter.
8.
Lord Goronwy-Roberts said that it would be necessary to find a formula for use in the Governor's announcement which could be drawn upon to show that the programme of action contained other objectives besides those specified. It should contain some indication of the intention to consider the introduction over the next five years of the measures in subparagraphs (g) and (h) of paragraph 23 (1) of Annex C. Ministers would be in difficulty in answering Parliamentary Questions on such matters if there was nothing in the Governor's announcement on which they could draw. Sir M MacLehose said that since Hong Kong's critics were not going to be satisfied by whatever he announced in October there seemed to be a tactical case for keeping some proposals in reserve. He suggested, however, that Ministers might be able to hold the position if he were to say that the intention was to raise standards in Hong Kong to the best Asian equivalent (excluding Japan) within five years and to introduce a substantial legislative programme in the first year and, at the same time, to point out that, as would be the case, real wages had risen by X% over the past year. Since it was known that a minimum wage, limits on the hours of work of adult males and provision for overtime rates existed elsewhere in Asia, Ministers would be able to draw the conclusion, in answer to questions, that Hong Kong would, no doubt, be considering the introduction of similar measures in due course. Lord Goronwy-Roberts agreed that such a formula would be useful.
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/B.