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facilitate their safe and early return to work. Later, the programme was extended to the catering, transportation and manufacturing industries, with the participation of more employers, insurers, and injured workers. The department will continue to improve the programme to the benefit of all stakeholders.
The Employees' Compensation Division of the Labour Department, which administers the ECO, assists injured employees and deceased employees' families to obtain compensation from their employers and administers a scheme to provide interest-free loans if they need financial assistance as a result of a work-related accident. In 2006, loans totalling $160,000 were made to 11 injured employees.
The Employees Compensation Assistance Scheme provides assistance for injured employees or family members of deceased employees in cases where employers default payment of compensation for work-related injuries. The scheme is financed by a levy imposed on all employees' compensation insurance policies taken out by employers.
In 2006, the Labour Department organised seminars and broadcast TV and radio announcements in the public interest to educate employers and employees on their rights and obligations under the ECO.
Pneumoconiosis sufferers are eligible for compensation under the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance administered by the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board. Those diagnosed before the ordinance went into force in 1981 may receive ex gratia benefits from the Government under the Pneumoconiosis Ex Gratia Scheme. By the end of the year, 2 158 pneumoconiosis sufferers were receiving compensation in the form of monthly/quarterly payments under the ordinance or the ex gratia scheme. Family members of 102 pneumoconiosis sufferers who died as a result of the disease were also granted compensation.
The Occupational Deafness Compensation Scheme compensates employees suffering from noise-induced deafness due to employment in specified noisy occupations. It is administered by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board. In 2006, the board approved 51 applications for compensation due to employment- related, noise-induced deafness, and paid out $6.1 million in compensation. The board also approved 298 applications for payments for hearing aids amounting to $760,000.
Wage Protection Movement
The issues of minimum wage and standard working hours have been matters of public concern. However, views within the community on whether statutory minimum wage and standard working hours should be introduced are diverse. After taking into account the views of stakeholders and having carefully considered Hong Kong's socio-economic situation, the Government has concluded that the pragmatic approach at this stage would be to provide wage protection for cleaning workers and security guards through non-legislative means. As a result, the Chief Executive announced in his 2006 Policy Address that the Government would join hands with the business community and labour sector to launch a Wage Protection Movement (WPM). Under the WPM, employers should pay their cleaning workers and security
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