EMPLOYMENT
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Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Work in Compressed Air) Regulations were amended to lengthen the intervals for radiographic examinations of people employed in compressed air.
The Vocational Training Council Ordinance was enacted to provide for the establishment of a statutory body to co-ordinate the development of a comprehensive system of technical education and training in industry and commerce.
The Apprenticeship Ordinance was amended to transfer most of the functions under the ordinance from the Commissioner for Labour to the Director of Technical Education and Industrial Training, and to introduce other amendments consequential upon the establishment of the Vocational Training Council. With effect from April 1, 1982, a new Technical Education and Industrial Training Department was set up, merging the Industrial Training Branch
with the Technical previously part of the Labour Department Education Division of the Education Department.
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Minor amendments, including the revision of fines, were made to the Boilers and Pressure Receivers Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations.
As a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong is not a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and is not called upon to ratify any International Labour Conventions which set international labour standards. However, the United Kingdom Government makes declarations on behalf of Hong Kong with regard to the application of conventions it ratifies. This is done after full consultation with the Hong Kong Government.
As at December 1982, Hong Kong had applied 31 conventions in full and 19 with modification, making a total of 50. This compares favourably with most member nations in the region.
Wages and Conditions of Work
There is no statutory minimum wage rate in Hong Kong. The wage level prevailing is essentially the result of an interplay of the economic forces of supply and demand.
Wage rates are usually calculated on a time basis such as hourly, daily or monthly, or on an incentive basis depending on the volume of work performed. The pay period is normally 10 or 15 days for daily-rated and piece-rated workers and a month for monthly-rated workers. Most semi-skilled and unskilled workers in the manufacturing industries are piece-rated, although daily rates of pay are also common. Monthly-rated industrial workers are usually employed in the skilled trades or in technical and supervisory capacities. On the other hand, monthly rates of pay are most common for workers in the non-manufacturing industries. Men and women receive the same rate for piece-work, but women on average are paid less when working on a time-basis as there may not be strict job-comparability.
Wage rates of manufacturing workers continued to increase in money terms during 1982. Although the effect of immigration on the labour force gradually lessened and the rate of inflation eased, manufacturing wage rates remained stagnant in real terms. During the 12 months ending September, 1982, the index of average daily wages in the manufacturing sector increased by 11 per cent in money terms. During the same time, the Consumer Price Index (A) went up by the same amount resulting in almost no change in the index of real average daily wages.
A Consumer Price Index (A), based on a household expenditure survey conducted from October 1979 to September 1980 and covering about 50 per cent of urban households in Hong Kong, was compiled as an indicator of the average price changes experienced by