FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1974
LABOUR TRIBUNAL TO BE MADE PERMANENT
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HONG KONG'S LABOUR TRIBUNAL WHICH HAS SUCCESSFULLY HELPED SETTLE MURE THAN 1,000 MONETARY DISPUTES INVOLVING CLAIMS OF ABOUT $3 MILLION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS IN THE PAST 14 MONTHS IS TO BE ESTABLISHED ON A PERMANENT BASIS UNDER A BILL GAZETTED TODAY.
KNOWN AS THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL CAMENDMENT) BILL 1974, THE LEGISLATION WILL BE TABLED AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHORTLY TO EFFECT THIS PROPOSAL.
THE BILL HAS THREE MAIN PURPOSES:
* TO PUT THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL ORDINANCE ON A PERMANENT
FOOTING=
TO PROVIDE THAT LEAVE TO APPEAL MUST BE OBTAINED AS A PREREQUISITE TO AN APPEAL AGAINST AN AWARD, ORDER OR. DETERMINATION BY A PRESIDING OFFICER; AND
* TO EMPOWER A PRESIDING OFFICER TO PUNISH FOR CONTEMPT.
MR. MICHAEL WONG, THE PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE TRIBUNAL, EXPLAINED THAT THE PRINCIPAL ORDINANCE WAS ENACTED IN MARCH 1972 TO PROVIDE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A LABOUR TRIBUNAL. THE ORDINANCE, THEN INTRODUCED ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS, IS DUE TO EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31, 1975.
THE FIRST TRIBUNAL BEGAN OPERATION ON MARCH 1 LAST YEAR AND PROVED TO BE AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS IN PROVIDING A QUICK, INEXPENSIVE, SIMPLE AND INFORMAL METHOD OF SETTLING MONETARY DISPUTES, HE SAID.
SINCE ITS INCEPTION AND UP TO THE END OF LAST MONTH, A TOTAL OF 1,398 CLAIMS INVOLVING MORE THAN $3 MILLION VERE DEALT WITH BY THE TRIBUNAL. OF THESE, 1,109 CASES HAD CONCLUDED AND MORE THAN $1.7 MILLION HAD BEEN AWARDED TO THE CLAIMANTS.
MR. WONG POINTED OUT THAT THE NUMBER OF CASES DEALT WITH DOUBLED THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE OF 500 CLAIMS A YEAR AND IT ALSO DOUBLED THE ANNUAL FIGURE OF ALL WAGE CASES HANDLED BY THE DISTRICT COURT IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
IN ORDER TO ENABLE THE TRIBUNAL TO KEEP UP WITH ITS INCREASING VOLUME OF WORK, A SECOND PRESIDING OFFICER AND SUPPORTING STAFF WERE APPOINTED FROM FEBRUARY 1, THIS YEAR.
JUDGING FROM ITS PERFORMANCE OVER THE PAST YEAR, MR. WONG NOTED THAT THE TRIBUNAL SERVED A VERY USEFUL PURPOSE AND SHOULD BE MADE PERMANENT,
HE EXPLAINED THAT, UNDER THE BILL AN APPEAL AGAINST THE DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL COULD ONLY BE BROUGHT WITH LEAVE
FROM THE DISTRICT COURT.
AT PRESENT, APPEALS ARE SOMETIMES LODGED ON GROUNDS WHICH ARE NOT PERMITTED BY THE ORDINANCE AND THIS CAUSES UNWARRANTED DELAY IN FINALISING CLAIMS.
THE BILL