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(a) a social security scheme linked to the acquisition of housing; and
(b) a reform of the educational system, which provided not only for the school leaving age to be raised, but for an educational structure in which access to higher education was
less obviously related to "ability to pay" than at present.
Professor Turner also draws attention, again on a tentative basis, to three matters which require further attention:
(a)
(b)
the need for "some kind of general legal minimum wage";
the need to fill the "gap in labour relations at the work place level";
1.
(c) the need to improve the Hong Kong Government's own labour
relations.
Likely Reactions
4. Professor Turner's report contains points which will be welcome to a number of the parties interested in labour and social conditions in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government can be expected to welcome the compliment paid to the Labour Department. The suggestion that paid annual holidays should be introduced will be acceptable since the Hong Kong Government plan to introduce one week's paid holiday for workers by the beginning of 1978. They also plan to raise the school leaving age to 15 by 1980. Professor Turner's suggestions regarding a social security scheme and a reform of the educational system are welcome to us. Both are relevant to measures in the Planning Paper and we are anxious to see the Hong Kong Government make progress over them. The TUC will be particularly glad to see that Professor Turner has pointed to the need for consideration to be given to a statutory minimum wage. (The Overseas Labour Adviser. Flag D with the approval of Ministers, sent the TUC a confidential note
on 14 December on the Hong Kong Government's current plan for further progress in social, labour and allied fields and this mentioned that the Hong Kong Government would be giving consideration during the next five years to the statutory provision of minimum wages for low paid occupations.)
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