OCCUPATIONS, WAGES AND LABOUR ORGANIZATION
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was rapidly put in hand, and by the end of the year prepa- rations had been nearly completed for providing potential employers with the information required to facilitate the selection of suitable workers. It was decided that all Dock- yard employees laid off during 1957 should be allowed to make use of the services of the Employment Liaison Office. The first retrenchments under the closure scheme were due to take place on 4th January, 1958.
Following the announcement regarding the closure of the Dockyard, considerable trade union activity occurred, par- ticularly left-wing, and union representatives had numerous interviews with the Dockyard Authorities and with staff of the Labour, Department. Several short, token 'sit down' strikes took place in the Dockyard during December, but not all the workers participated in these demonstrations.
Minor Disputes. The number of minor disputes dealt with by the Labour Department during the year was 1,079, an increase of 31 cases over the number in the previous year.
Model Agreement. The preparation of a form of 'Model Agreement' for conditions of service was completed during the year. This comprehensive document, which was intended as a guide to employers prepared to draw up written terms of service for their workers, provided details under a number of main headings such as Wages, Hours of Work, Over- time, Holidays, Bonuses, 'Notice, Retiring Benefits, Dis- cipline, etc., together with explanatory notes. It was made available in both English and Chinese and 150 copies had been distributed by the end of the year.
LEGISLATION
The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Radiation) Special Regulations, 1957, made by the Commissioner of Labour, were approved by the Legislative Council on 8th May. They were designed to exercise control over the grow- ing use of processes involving radiation in industrial under- takings in the Colony, which give rise to considerable risk