EMPLOYMENT IN HONG KONG
Statutory Minimum Wage
1.
BACKGROUND NOTE
There is no statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong. However, the Governor-in-Council may fix minimum rates of wages for trades
in which wages are unreasonably low.
Rest Days and Annual Leave
2. The provisions of the Employment Ordinance on rest days and annual leave came into effect on 1 February 1978. After a year's service, any worker in Hong Kong is eligible for 7 days' annual leave with pay. In addition, the worker is entitled to one rest day in 7; and there are provisions for severance pay and redundancy pay to take into account holidays not taken.
3. According to the Hong Kong Government, a random survey shows that no particular problems have been encountered over these provisions, and already over half of the number of firms surveyed had granted annual leave to their employees. Since the response from both employers and employees has generally been favourable to the new legislation, few difficulties are
anticipated.
Industrial Accidents and Deaths
4. The Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance requires that, before industrial undertakings are registered, they must conform with certain standards of industrial health, safety and welfare. Their premises must have: adequate draingage; lighting and ventilation; adequate working space; safe enclosures for dangerous machinery and satisfactory fire fighting equipment and fire escapes. However, Hong Kong's Factory Inspectorate is still under strength, and the UK has recently offered help with the training of more and better qualified Factory Inspectors. the meantime, the Hong Kong Government has given more extensive publicity to the campaign for improved safety at work.
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