EMPLOYMENT
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Since January 1, 1977, there has been legislation to reduce overtime employment for young people aged 16 and 17 by stages of 50 hours a year, until its abolition on January 1, 1980. Overtime employment for young people aged 14 and 15 has always been prohibited.
As there is no statutory restriction on the hours of work for male workers aged 18 and above, they generally work longer hours than female workers. According to the Report on the September, 1979, Labour Force Survey, published by the Census and Statistics Depart- ment, the average hours of work were about 50 a week. However, there were marked variations in the average hours of work for different occupations and industries. Sales and service workers, and workers in the wholesale and retail trades, restaurants and hotels worked the longest hours. People in financing and business services worked the shortest. Women and young people are prohibited from working at night, underground, or in dangerous trades. Since 1970, some large factories mostly those engaged in cotton spinning have been granted special permission to employ women at night, subject to certain stringent conditions. This concession is reviewed annually.
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Under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Regulations, no man may be employed to work underground in mines, quarries, and industrial undertakings involving tunnelling operations unless he has been medically examined and certified fit for such work. Those under the age of 21 have to be medically re-examined at yearly intervals.
Trade Unions
The legal requirements covering the registration and control of trade unions are specified in the Trade Unions Ordinance administered by the Registrar of Trade Unions.
During the year, 18 new unions were registered; 16 of them were formed by civil
servants.
Of the 396 trade unions on the register at the end of the year, 340 were employees' unions with an estimated membership of 402,600; 41 were merchant or employer organi- sations with an estimated membership of 4,200; and 15 were mixed organisations of employees and employers, with an estimated membership of 5,890.
Many of the employees' unions are either affiliated to, or associated with, one of the two local societies registered under the Societies Ordinance the Hong Kong Federation
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of Trade Unions and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, a left-wing organisation, has 66 affiliated unions. A further 30 unions, nominally independent, are friendly towards this federation. Members of those affiliated and associated unions are concentrated in shipyards, textile mills, public transport and public utilities.
The Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council has right-wing sympathies and is affiliated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. It has 74 affiliated unions and nine associated unions, the members of which are mainly employed in the catering and building trades.
The remaining 161 employee unions are politically independent and their members mostly are from the civil service and the teaching profession.
Labour Administration and Services
The Labour Department has an establishment of 1,434 and its services are continually expanding. Branch offices in the urban areas and the New Territories all conveniently located - deal promptly with labour matters raised by local employers and employees.
The Commissioner for Labour is the principal adviser to the government on labour matters. He also is concurrently the Commissioner of Mines.