WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1974
COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR PRAISES WORKERS
OVERSEAS CRITICISMS OF LABOUR CONDITIONS +WIDE OF THE MARK→ ******
DESPITE THE PRESENT WORLD ECONOMIC SITUATION, HONG KONG SET A RECORD FOR INDUSTRIAL PEACE THIS YEAR, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, THE HON. IAN PRICE, SAID TODAY.
AND MUCH OF THE CREDIT BELONGED TO ITS HARD-WORKING LABOUR FORCE, HE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN HIS MAIDEN SPEECH.
MR. PRICE SAID IT WAS ALSO THE WORKERS WHO DESERVED A MAJOR SHARE OF THE CREDIT FOR HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC GROWTH.
COMMENTING ON THE PRESENT POST-WAR LOW OF WORKING DAYS LOST,' HE SAID IT WAS LARGELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE REALISTIC ATTITUDE ADOPTED BY WORKERS TO THE PRESENT ECONOMIC SITUATION - AND TO A REMARKABLE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.
THE COMMISSIONER REJECTED WHAT HE TERMED THE +DISTORTED IMAGE OF LABOUR RELATIONS IN HONG KONG.
HE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG SUFFERED LESS FROM INDUSTRIAL UNREST THAN NEARLY ANY OTHER TERRITORY THE LAST 10 MONTHS' FIGURE BEING THE LOWEST IN 30 YEARS.
UP TO THE END OF OCTOBER, THERE HAD BEEN 70 INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES THIS YEAR, INVOLVING 16 WORK STOPPAGES AND A LOSS OF ONLY 2,900 WORKING-DAYS COMPARED WITH 55,000 IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
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IN A WIDE-RANGING REVIEW OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S WORK, MR. PRICE ALSO -
* REPORTED THAT CONSULTATIONS ON HONG KONG'S FIRST LABOUR
RELATIONS BILL WERE NOW WELL ADVANCED. THE BILL GIVES STATUTORY BACKING TO THE LABOUR RELATIONS SERVICE AND LAYS DOWN GUIDELINES FOR SETTLING INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES WHEN INITIAL CONCILIATION FAILS-
* REJECTED CLAIMS - +OFTEN BASED ON INACCURATE INFORMATION+ OF WIDESPREAD CHILD LABOUR IN INDUSTRY, AND PREDICTED THE WHOLE PROBLEM OF CHILD LABOUR WOULD EVENTUALLY BE WIPED OUT BY THE GOVERNMENT'S RECENTLY-ANNOUNCED EDUCATION PROGRAMME-
*
*
ANNOUNCED PLANS TO BE BACKED WITH LEGISLATION - TO STREAMLINE THE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT STATISTICS AND CUT DOWN THE PAPERWORK EMPLOYERS HAD TO FACE IN PROVIDING THEM-
REVEALED THAT THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO PROMOTE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY WAS NOW READY AND SHOULD GO TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR APPROVAL SOON.
/REBUTTED ALLEGATIONS .........
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