EMPLOYMENT
Enforcement of Legislation
During 1996, there were 7 674 prosecutions for breaches of various ordinances and regulations administered by the Labour Department. Fines totalling $47,670,180 were imposed.
Labour Advisory Board
The Labour Advisory Board is a non-statutory body set up to provide a forum for consultation on labour policies and legislation. It also monitors the Supplementary Labour Scheme. Six of the 12 members represent employers and another six represent employees. The Commissioner for Labour, or her deputy, is the ex officio chairman.
Under the board, committees have been set up on special subjects including employment services, industrial safety and health, labour relations, employees' compensation and the implementation of international labour standards.
International Labour Standards
The International Labour Conventions of the International Labour Organisation prescribe standards on matters such as labour administration, employment rights, and occupational safety and health as models for the member states. These conventions have a significant influence on the formulation of labour legislation in the territory and 49 are currently applied in Hong Kong. This compared favourably with most members of the International Labour Organisation in the region.
Trade Unions
Trade unions must be registered under the Trade Unions Ordinance, which is administered by the Registrar of Trade Unions. Once registered, a trade union becomes a body corporate and enjoys immunity from certain civil suits.
During the year, 22 new unions were registered. At the end of the year, there were 577 unions, comprising 535 employees' unions, 25 employers' associations and 17 mixed organisations of employees and employers.
About half of the employees' unions are affiliated to one of the five major labour organisations registered under the Societies Ordinance; the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (113 affiliated unions with about 229 400 members), the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council (65 unions, 27 600 members), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (39 unions, 84 800 members), the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (31 unions, 21 200 members) and the Federation of Civil Service Unions (29 unions, 12 400 members).
Labour Relations
In 1996, the Labour Relations Division of the Labour Department provided conciliation service in 226 trade disputes which involved 17 work stoppages resulting in a loss of 2 709 working days. The division also handled 22 840 claims for wages. and other employment-related benefits or entitlements.
The Labour Relations Ordinance provides the machinery for special conciliation, voluntary arbitration and board of inquiry to settle trade disputes which cannot be resolved through ordinary conciliation.
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