WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1982
MR HENDERSON SAID, I AM SURE THIS WILL BE THE CASE AND
Į AM SURE WE ALL STRONGLY ECHO THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN'S ADVICE TO EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS TO KEEP WORKFORCES TOGETHER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN LEANER TIMES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FUTURE IMPROVEMENT
N ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.+
MR HENDERSON SAID THAT HE DETECTED IN A NUMBER OF SPEECHES, NOTABLY THOSE OF THE HON ALLEN LEE, THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN AND THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG. SOME UNEASE ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THE PRESENT ECONOMIC SITUATION ON RELATIONS BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES, AND OF UNEMPLOYMENT SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO BY THE HON MARIA TAM.
HE DISCLOSED THAT THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURE FOR JUNE THIS YEAR WAS 3.4 PER CENT, WHICH WAS NOT ONLY VERY LOW BY WORLD STANDARDS BUT BELOW THE 1981 FIGURES.
MR HENDERSON SAID, +1 AM VERY CONSCIOUS, OF COURSE, THAT THIS FIGURE IS PRECISELY WHAT IT SAYS IT IS, THAT IT IS AN UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURE, IT IS NOT AND CANNOT BE A MEASURE OF UNDER-EMPLOYMENT WHICH IS PROBABLY ON THE INCREASE, WITH LESS HOURS AND OVERTIME BEING WORKED IN MANY FACTORIES, BUT THE INDICATIONS ARE THAT MANY EMPLOYERS ARE TRYING TO KEEP THEIR WORKFORCES TOGETHER.+
HE SAID THAT INDICATIONS WERE THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAD BEEN ON THE INCREASE.
BUT HE ADDED THAT EVEN IF THE SEPTEMBER FIGURE WAS AROUND FOUR PER CENT THIS WOULD BE ABOUT THE SAME AS THE FIGURE IN MARCH 1981 AND CERTAINLY NOT OF THE SAME ORDER AS THE WORST FIGURE OF THE 1974-75 RECESSION OF AROUND NINE PER CENT.
HE SAID THAT IT WAS STILL THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICES OFFICES THAT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE IR PLACEMENT RATE AT A HIGH LEVEL.
MR HENDERSON SAID THAT THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT HAD ENACTED
159 ITEMS OF LABOUR LEGISLATION IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.
HE POINTED OUT THAT ALTHOUGH THESE WERE OF VARYING IMPORTANCE, THEY REPRESENTED A STEADY LONG-TERM SOCIAL REFORM AND IMPROVEMENT
IN THE FIELD OF LABOUR LEGISLATION.
HE PROPOSED THAT THIS MEASURED PROGRESS SHOULD CONTINUE
AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PROCEED IN A MANNER ADAPTED TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG AND COMMENSURATE WITH ITS ECONOMIC CONDITION AND DEVELOPMENT.
HE WAS DEEPLY CONSCIOUS THAT IN PURSUING THIS COURSE NOW, AS IN THE PAST THE PACE WOULD PLEASE NEITHER EMPLOYERS NOR EMPLOYEES, HE SAID.
REFERRING TO PAID HOLIDAYS, HE SAID THAT DESPITE THE URGINGS OF THE REV. THE HON MCGOVERN, IT WOULD SEEM RATHER PREMATURE TO REVIEW THE HOLIDAY POSITION AGAIN AT THIS STAGE.
HE SAID THAT THE CHANGES DEBATED AND ENACTED EARLIER THIS YEAR, BOTH FOR GENERAL HOLIDAYS AND STATUTORY HOLIDAYS, DO NOT COME INTO FORCE UNTIL THE FIRST OF JANUARY NEXT YEAR.
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