FRIDAY, MAY 6, 1977
PAID ANNUAL LEAVE PROPOSED
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ALL MANUAL WORKERS, AND NON-MANUAL EMPLOYEES EARNING LESS THAN $2,000 A MONTH, WILL BE ENTITLED TO PAID ANNUAL LEAVE IF A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCE IS APPROVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
THE EMPLOYMENT (AMENDMENT) (NO. 3) BILL 1977 PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE TODAY (FRIDAY) STIPULATES THAT ALL EMPLOYEES WILL BE ENTITLED TO SEVEN DAYS ANNUAL LEAVE WITH PAY AFTER SERVING 12 MONTHS WITH THE SAME EMPLOYER.
IN EVERY 12 MONTHS THE EMPLOYEE MUST HAVE SEVEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS' ABSENCE FROM WORK WITH PAY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH CONSECUTIVE DAYS ARE COMPRISED WHOLLY OF ANNUAL LEAVE OR PARTLY ALSO OF STATUTORY HOLIDAYS AND REST DAYS.
THE BALANCE OF THE ANNUAL LEAVE CAN THEN BE GRANTED AS INDIVIDUAL PAID HOLIDAYS TO BE FIXED BY THE EMPLOYER IN CONSULTATION WITH THE EMPLOYEE.
ON TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT, PRO RATA ANNUAL LEAVE PAY MUST BE PAID TO THE EMPLOYEE EXCEPT WHERE HIS RELEVANT PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT IS THEN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS, OR HE IS DISMISSED FOR MISCONDUCT AND HIS RELEVANT PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT IS LESS THAN 12 MONTHS,
APART FROM THESE CIRCUMSTANCES PAYMENT IN LIEU OF LEAVE WOULD BE PROHIBITED.
THE BILL ALSO REQUIRES AN EMPLOYER TO KEEP RECORDS OF ANNUAL LEAVE TAKEN BY HIS STAFF AND TO POST NOTICE OF ANY INTENTION TO CLOSE DOWN HIS BUSINESS TEMPORARILY FOR THE PURPOSE OF GRANTING ANNUAL LEAVE TO HIS EMPLOYEES. IN SUCH EVENT, ANY EMPLOYEE WHO HAS NOT COMPLETED ONE YEAR'S SERVICE WOULD BE ENTITLED TO ANNUAL LEAVE WITH PAY FOR THE PERIOD OF THE SHUT DOWN.
COMMENTING ON THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR MR. IAN PRICE SAID THAT IT WOULD ALLÓW EMPLOYEES A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF LEAVE SO THAT THEY COULD RECUPERATE FROM THE STRESSES AND STRAIN OF WORK.
+IT WILL ALSO IMPROVE CONDITIONS OF WORK IN INDUSTRY AND LABOUR RELATIONS GENERALLY AND GIVE WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES MORE TIME TOGETHER.
ON THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE BILL, MR. PRICE SAID: IN THE CASE OF MONTHLY PAID WORKERS, THERE WILL BE NO INCREASE IN THE SIZE OF WAGE BILL PAID BY EMPLOYERS EXCEPT IN CASES WHERE ANNUAL LEAVE IS GIVEN BY ROTATION AND REPLACEMENT WORKERS ARE ENGAGED.
+ IF ALL EMPLOYERS ENGAGED REPLACEMENT WORKERS, IT IS CALCULATED THAT THE ADDITION TO THE WAGE BILL WOULD BE IN THE REGION OF 2.3 PER CENT.
+SOME EMPLOYERS, ESPECIALLY AMONG ESTABLISHED COMPANIES, ARE ALREADY PROVIDING ANNUAL LEAVE ENTITLEMENT TO THE IR EMPLOYEES IN TERMS MORE GENEROUS THAN IS BEING PROPOSED, NO ADDITIONAL COSTS WOULD BE ADDED TO THE WAGE BILLS OF THESE EMPLOYERS.+
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