HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Compulsory Elimination a Wrong Policy—
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Itinerant (Frozen Confectionery) Hawker Licence Being a Typical Example The compulsory elimination of itinerant hawker licences will mean that eighty ice-cream sellers who are half hawkers and half employees are going to lose their jobs. The effect of that will be the disappearance from the urban area of Hong Kong of on-the-street selling of frozen confectionery, a trade that is perfectly legal in other big cities and scenic spots around the world, and one that has served our community for more than half a century to the convenience of visitors. This typical example clearly demonstrates that the Urban Council's policy of compulsory elimination of itinerant hawker licences is wrong.
The Dairy Products Beverage and Food Industries Employees Union has, on a number of occasions, petitioned the Council, to withdraw the 'post-dated' cheque which will be liquidated on 31.3.96 and thus, smash the 'rice bowls of 80 families. I believe that if the Council does not carry out a thorough and serious review on the above policy and withdraw this 'post-dated cheque' which is erroneous and will bring about unemployment, it will certainly lose the support of the community.
First, the itinerant (frozen confectionery) hawker licence holders belong to a particular category of hawkers who are different from other types of itinerant hawkers. They are in fact employees hired for selling ice-cream. The Urban Council therefore should not create more unemployment.
As is known to all, only ice-cream companies with high hygiene standards can apply for itinerant (frozen confectionery) hawker licences. It has always been so. These companies will hire ice-cream sellers only after they have qualified for licence application. They will then apply for licences for their employees for the operation of business. For this reason, these sellers have to wear the uniform of the ice-cream companies, use the refrigerators provided by the companies for the storage of frozen confectionery and sell only the companies' products. These sellers have to settle accounts with their companies everyday and they are paid on a commission basis. Some ice-cream companies may even sell dry ice (for keeping frozen confectionery) to their employees at a discount and provide them with such benefits as petrol allowance and retirement gratuity.
Meanwhile, the unemployment and under-employment situation has grown worse. According to the Quarterly Report on General Household Survey for July to September 1995 published recently by the Census and Statistics Department, the number of unemployed in the third quarter last year was a record high of 113,400 whilst the number of those under-employed was 77,000. The biggest group hit by unemployment are those between the age of 20 and 29. They are 41,300 in number and represent a sharp increase when compared with 30,000 in the second quarter of last year. Worse still, the number of unemployed non-graduates and graduates in the third quarter are 8,100 and 9,700 respectively, almost double the figure of 10,000 for the same period in 1994. Under such circumstances, should the fully
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