ENCLOSURE NO.9
Extract from the Hong or South China
.2.27.
Morning Post of 1 Sout
FORCED TO CLOSE
(I)
DOWN.
EFFECT OF CANTON REGULATIONS ON THE KERR HOSPITAL.
CULMINATION OF MUCH TROUBLE.
The John G. Kerr Hospital, founded in 1898 for the treatment of Chinese insane, after treating over seven thou- sand patients during twenty-nine years of continuous ser- vice, has been forced to close down in the face of recent regulations issued by the Canton Nationalist Government. This is the culmination of nearly a year of almost constant trouble with its employees, following the development with in the hospital of a local branch of the labour union.
Intimidation was used in recruiting members for the union, so that by last summer every one of the hundred men and women workers become members, even including the Chinese advisor, the evangelist and other Chinese staff mem- bers-excepting alone one of the physicians.
pital workers' wages dollars.
is seven
7. Wages must be paid twice each month, on first and fifteenth. No reduction is to be made in wages during employee's time off.
Hospital Meetings.
The history of these troubles 6. The lowest limit for hos- has been disaffection, undermining of hospital discipline, neglect of duties, insubordination, organized attempts to overthrow hospital control, anti-foreign propaganda, and boycott of religious services. An interesting feature to these labour troubles lies in the fact that no demand for higher pay has been made within the past year, and that all disputes have been over the hospital's authority to engage and dismiss employees.
It has been the persistent aim of the labour union to wrest this power from the hospital manage- ment, and it is this same issue which reads as follows:
The Regulations.
Hospital miscellaneous workers regulations issued by the officials for the purpose of protecting pa- tients, and for the purpose of bene- fiting labourers.
1. These regulations are with regard to regular miscellaneous hospital workers, exclusive of the medical staff.
2. All hospitals in the Republic of China, whether Chinese-West- ern, public or private, shall all be managed according to these re- gulations.
3. The labourers' work period each week shall not go beyond sixty hours. If because of special circumstances it must go beyond the determined work period, the hospital shall add compensation at more than the ordinary wage rate.
4. Within their work hours, the hospital workers shall take orders from the hospital manage- ment with regard to the distribu- tion of work. Night workers' period of labour shall be reduced -one third.
5. With regard to the worker's duties, the hospital shall give ac- cording to each worker's ability,
but cannot assign a worker to work he is unable to do.
f
8. The workers shall be allow- ed to
use the
hospital's public halls for orderly meetings, but a date must be arranged beforehand with the management.
9. On the occasion of official or party parades or holidays, the labour union must first inform the hospital, and the management is then to designate a number of men to take part in the parade, the number not to go beyond one fourth of the number of workers. The work of those going on holi- day is to be distributed among those who remain.
10. In case of officially pro- claimed holidays, the hospital must permit the employees to take time off. If time off cannot be given at the time it must be given subsequently at some other time. Besides this, the hospital must give fourteeen days regular vaca- tion each year.
11. The hospital accepts res- ponsibility for treating until well such workers as contract sickness (excepting venereal disease, tuber- culosis, insanity, and wound's re- ceived in fighting). Also, wages must not be reduced or stopped until after two months in such
cases.
Rules of Dismissal.
12. In case of the death of a worker, employed for over a year, the hospital must provide the relatives with six months wages,, at the worker's previous rate, as a grant of mercy. If the worker has been employed for more than six years, the grant must be larger, the amount to be discussed at the time. In hospitals for contagious
157
diseases, one year's wages must be provided.
13. Women workers at time of pregnancy may have two weeks before and four weeks after deli- very to rest, with full pay.
14. In order that hospitals may efficiently take care of the sick,
they have liberty to engage any employees, but after engaging, the hospitals must cause the em- ployees to join the labour union.
15. The hospital, outside of reasons given below cannot (with- out reason) dismiss employees. (1) Shrinkage of hospital business requiring reduction of workers. Then it must give one month's ad- vance notice and pay one month's additional wages besides. (2) In case of workers breaking hos- pital rules, abusing and maltreat- ing patients until they are made miserable, then the hospital may at any time (without making a case) dismiss such workers.
(3)
If because of dismissing anyone, trouble arises among the workers, the Government must be notified, and the Government will establish a court of arbitration, and during that time the hospital may not dismiss anyone.
16. If a dispute arises among the workers because the hospital treats them unfairly, or because the cost of living is very high and they ask for a raise of pay, the matter must first be presented to the officials for settlement, and the workers must not picket the hospital otherwise interfere with the patients or the hospital's internal affairs. If the hospital is not able to abide by the offi- cial settlement, the labourers may strike, but must give ten days notice before they strike.
ΟΙ
Benefits Vitiated.
17. Whatever rules the hos- pital makes must not conflict with these regulations, and must be submitted to the administrative office (chue koon t'eng) for their review and approval.
18. These regulations can be amended at any time by the offi- cials.
19. These regulations go into effect immediately upon promulga- tion.
With minor exceptions the first ten appear fair and practicable. Articles eleven and twelve, how- ever, place a burden upon hos- pitals which in effect is a sort of insurance, and should be shared by the employees and perhaps also by the Government, such a finan- cial obligation being too great for benevolent institutions to assume. Article fourteen apparently recog- nises the right of hospitals to exercise freedom in engaging em- ployees but in reality forces them to act as recruiting agencies for the labour union.
Article fifteen, up to section three, is quite fair and adequate, but the
third section entirely vitiates all possible benefits pro- vided by the first portion. perience with Chinese labour
Ex-