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Wednesday, April 25, 1973
PAID HOLIDAYS AND SICKNESS ALLOWANCE FOR WORKERS
Benefits To Be Extended To More People
The Commissioner of Labour, the Hon. Paul Tsui today proposed that
all workers earning up to $1,500 a month, whether employed in an industrial
undertaking or not, should be given sickness allowance and six holidays a year.
In introducing the Employment (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1973 in the
Legislative Council today, he pointed out that the six holidays should be in
addition to the one rest day a week for women and young persons employed in
industry.
The six holidays will, as before, be designated, but the holiday
on Winter Solstice will be replaced by New Year's Day.
Mr. Tsui said that under the present law, some 600,000 out of the
total working population of 1.6 million did not have the right to claim the
six statutory holidays or sickness allowance.
The Bill also seeks to increase the sickness allowance benefits for
workers by raising the entitlement up to 24 days in two years. As present,
workers are entitled only up to 12 days in one year.
Mr. Tsui said that sickness allowance would be paid for the first
three days the worker was sick if he had fallen sick for four or more days.
Under the present ordinance, a worker will be paid sickness allowance
only as from the fourth day if he has fallen sick for less than seven days.
The rates