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TALKING POINTS
It is good to see that the momentum in favour of further social progress in Hong Kong has been maintained since the Governor's
last visit.
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The detailed programme of labour and social measures for the coming year announced by the Governor on 6 October was impressive.
We welcome the steps that the Hong Kong Government has recently taken to prepare for the timely implementation of longer term measures. e.g. the decision to introduce one week's paid holiday from January 1978.
It is encouraging that the current programme of labour legislation should enable the Hong Kong Government to improve their declarations on five ILO Conventions by the end of this year. The application of ILO Conventions has been given a certain symbolic significance as a yardstick of Hong Kong's progress.
We are also pleased that the Governor was able to widen the social basis of the Legislative Council by the appointment of Have the new Unofficial Members, including a trade unionist. new members begun to make an impact?
Looking ahead, we should be interested to know more about the Hong Kong Government's plans for:
(a)
further labour legislation and, in particular, their present thinking as regards the introduction of a minimum wage and for limits on the hours of work and overtime rates for adult males;
(b)
the implementation of the proposed comprehensive social welfare scheme, including a new non-means-tested system of benefits (public assistance is currently paid on the basis of need). We hope to be able to meet Hong Kong's