Hours of Work
5. As from 1 January 1976 women and young persons (ie 16-17 year olds) were only permitted to work a maximum of 200 hours overtime a year. In December 1976 further regulations were approved to reduce overtime for young persons from 200 hours per annum to nil in four equal annual stages. These took effect from 1 January 1977. Abolition of overtime for young persons will therefore be achieved. by 1 January 1980.
Trade Unions
6. Trade union membership as at the end of 1975 is shown in Annex 1. Amendments have recently been enacted to the Hong Kong Trade Union Ordinance including one to enable unions to employ full-time officers to strengthen union administration.
Wage Determination
7.
The promotion of joint consultation proceeds slowly. At the end of 1976 the existence of 58 formal joint consultative committees had been recorded in 25 establishments. More progress is made with more informal and less legalistic arrangements.
8. In October 1976 the Hong Kong Labour Department, with the strong endorsement of the Labour Advisory Board, published a Code of Labour Relations Practice. It is a voluntary code but the Labour Department hopes it will exert a beneficial influence in the development of industrial relations. As experience is gained the Code will be refined and expanded but its immediate value lies in its being clearly understood in the small factories which are so predominant in Hong Kong's industrial pattern.
Industrial Disputes
9. The quiet trend in disputes continued during 1976, the figures for that year dropping below those for 1975. In 1976 there were 15 stoppages of work involving a loss of only 4,751 working days or 3.08 working days for every 1,000 salaried employees and wage earners. (In 1975 there were 17 stoppages of work involving a loss of 17,600 working days or 11.63 working days for every 1,000 salaried employees and wage earners). This figure reflects credit on the Labour Relations Service of the Labour Department who now move quickly into potentially serious disputes. No dispute has yet required the appointment of a Special Conciliator under the Labour Relations Ordinance.
Labour Administration
10. The Labour Department operates from 14 offices at present compared to 11 in 1973. Two more are scheduled to open in the next financial year. The approved establishment provides for 1,000 posts and an estimated 135 new posts will be created in 1977/78. Approved
/expenditure
2