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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1977
HE ADDED THAT THE PROCESS OF TRANSFERRING MARGINAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES FROM HIGH-COST TO LOW-COST COUNTRIES WAS MOST DESIRABLE AND SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED BY ALL NATIONS BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAYS OF INCREASING WORLD TRADE AS WELL AS OF ACCELERATING INDUSTRIALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
IT WAS SOCIALLY DESIRABLE, DR. CHUNG SAID, THAT SEVERANCE PAY SHOULD CARRY SOME ELEMENT OF RETIREMENT BENEFIT.
+ HONG KONG IS NOT YET A SOCIETY, HE POINTED OUT, IN WHICH THERE IS A NATIONAL PENSION SCHEME OR A NATIONAL PROVIDENT FUND OR IN WHICH THERE IS UNIVERSAL PRACTICE OF RETIREMENT BENEFITS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR ALL LEVELS OF EMPLOYEES.+
FIVE OTHER UNOFFICIALS, THE HON. PETER WONG, REV. THE HON. PATRICK MCGOVERN, THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, THE HON. JAMES WU AND THE HON. T.S. LO ALSO SPOKE ON THE BILL.
THE HON, PETER WONG, WHO WAS CONVENOR OF AN ADHOC GROUP APPOINTED BY THE UNOFFICIALS TO STUDY ITS PROVISIONS TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THE GROUP MET NO LESS THAN FIVE TIMES AND RECEIVED DELEGATIONS FROM 18 ORGANISATIONS IN ADDITION TO NUMEROUS WRITTEN REPRESENTATIONS.
THE VIEWS OF THE EMPLOYERS' ORGANISATIONS, HE SAID, WERE BROADLY THAT THE LEGISLATION WAS UNWISE BECAUSE AT THE MOMENT, HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIES WERE CONFRONTED WITH UNCERTAIN WORLD ECONOMIC TRENDS, RISING ECONOMIC PRESSURE FROM IMPORTING COUNTRIES AND STRONG COMPETITION THAT THE INCREASED CONTINGENT LIABILITY WOULD BE FAR BEYOND THE MEANS OF MANY, PARTICULARLY SMALL TO MEDIUM, INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS, AND THAT IT WAS QUESTIONABLE WHETHER THERE WAS ANY NEED OR JUSTIFICATION TO AMEND THE EXISTING LEGISLATION ONLY THREE YEARS AFTER ITS INTRODUCTION.
THE EMPLOYEES ON THE OTHER HAND, HE SAID, FELT THAT THE PROVISIONS DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH ALTHOUGH THEY RECOGNISED THE GOOD INTENTION OF THE BILL.
BASICALLY, HE ADDED, THEY WANTED THE RETROSPECTIVE EFFECT OF THE LEGISLATION TO BE FURTHER EXTENDED FROM EIGHT TO TEN YEARS AND THE RATE OF 15 DAYS' WAGES FOR EACH YEAR'S SERVICE APPLIED TO BOTH MONTHLY AND NON-MONTHLY RATED WORKERS.
REV. THE HON. PATRICK MCGOVERN SAID WHILE HE SUPPORTED THE BILL AS A SMALL SLOW STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, HE BELIEVED IT LEFT MUCH MORE TO BE DONE,
HE SAID WORKERS WHO PRESENTED THEIR CONSTRUCTIVE OBSERVATIONS TO UMELCO HAD SEVERAL VALID CRITICISMS POINTING OUT WEAKNESSES IN OTHER SECTIONS OF THE SAME PART OF THE ORDINANCE AND ASKED THAT THESE BE CAREFULLY STUDIED AND THE REFORMS SUGGESTED BE QUICKLY INTRODUCED IN THE COUNCIL.
/HE URGED