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expenditure for the Department rose from HK$ 15,117,300 in 1973/74 to HK$ 23,084,000 in 1976/77 and is estimated to rise to about HK$ 30,000,000 in 1977/78.
11. With regard to action to eliminate the illegal employment of children in industry, the figures for the three special campaigns held in 1976 are shown at Annex 2. These are of course in addition to the regular all-the-year-round enforcement visits by the Labour Inspectorate. Seventy-one labour inspectors were engaged in this task in 1975 and 1976. In 1975 and the first 10 months of 1976 they carried out 124,257 and 97,737 visits respectively to industrial undertakings.
Labour Legislation
12. Major enactments since 1 January 1975 include amendments to the Employment Ordinance to increase the number of statutory paid holidays from 6 to 10; to provide all employees with one rest day in every 7 days, and to increase entitlement to sick leave from 24 to 36 days at two-thirds pay instead of half pay. Factories legislation has been amended to provide for the phased abolition of overtime for young persons (paragraph 5 above) and the Companies and related Ordinances have been modified to prescribe the order in which debts, including salaries, wages, severance pay and sums due as workmen's compensation, are to be paid on the winding up of a company.
Items on industrial safety include Regulations dealing with the spraying of flammable liquids, goods lifts, dry batteries and the guarding and operating of machinery. An Ordinance and Regulations also came into force in 1976 to regulate and improve apprenticeships in designated trades and operations. Annex 3 shows the improved declarations made in 1976 on the application to Hong Kong of International Labour Conventions.
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13. Major items under preparation in 1977 include provision for employees to be given the right to seven days paid annual leave from 1 January 1978; for severance pay to be increased from one-third of a month's wages to cne-half for each year of qualifying service; the protection of wages due to workers employed in the building industry, and for extending the scope of the Employment Ordinance. Amendments to the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance are also under consideration and industrial safety regulations are likely to be made concerning protection of the yes, cartridge-operated fixing tools and the use of electrical appliances in factories.
The Labour Advisory Board
14. The Board, all appointed by the Governor, has a new composition effective as from 1 January 1977:
Commissioner for Labour (Chairman)
3 employee representatives elected annually by the unions
3 appointed employee representatives
4 employers' representatives, nominated by the Associations
2 appointed employers' representatives.
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