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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1987
MR HAMMOND SAID THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO ORGANISE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH EMPLOYERS' AND EMPLOYEES' ORGANISATIONS, MORE SUCH SEMINARS AND FORUMS TO PROMOTE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF LABOUR RELATIONS MATTERS BY BOTH PARTIES.
TODAY'S SYMPOSIUM, THE THIRD INDUSTRY-BASED TRIPARTITE SYMPOSIUM ON LABOUR RELATIONS ORGANISED BY THE PROMOTION UNIT OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT, WAS ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE FROM THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY.
SIX GUEST SPEAKERS WERE INVITED TO ADDRESS THE PARTICIPANTS. THEY INCLUDED THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG GARMENT MANUFACTURERS MR CHAN SUI-KAU THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GARMENT MAKING TRADE WORKERS UNION MR KAN CHI-SHING THE DIRECTOR OF CARLO GARMENT FACTORY LIMITED AND SWEETMART GARMENT WORKERS LIMITED MR JAMES Y.Y. CHAN SENIOR LECTURER FROM THE INSTITUTE OF TEXTILES AND CLOTHING OF THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC MR ALLEN T.S. NG THE SENIOR CONSULTANT OF THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL MR PETER Y.F. MOK AND AN INDUSTRIAL TRAINING OFFICER OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL MR K.K. FUNG.
THE TOPICS DISCUSSED INCLUDED PROSPECTS OF THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY, WAYS TO TACKLE LABOUR SHORTAGE, NEW TREND IN PAYROLL SYSTEM, ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTION PROCESS AND ITS IMPACT ON WORKERS, AND DIFFICULTIES FACED BY EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.
EPD TASKED TO HANDLE ASBESTOS PROBLEMS
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INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT RECENT RENOVATION WORK CARRIED OUT IN THE OCEAN TERMINAL BUILDING HAS DISTURBED ASBESTOS- CONTAINING MATERIALS.
AIR SAMPLES IN THE BUILDING WERE TAKEN ON MARCH 27 AND 28 AND THESE INDICATED THAT THE LEVEL OF ASBESTOS FIBRES MARGINALLY EXCEEDED THE LEVEL RECOMMENDED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM TO BE MET AFTER AS BESTOS ABATEMENT WORK IN A BUILDING HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT. THE HIGHEST LEVEL FOUND IN THE SAMPLES TESTED WAS 30 TIMES LOWER THAN THAT SET FOR THE PROTECTION OF PERSONS EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS IN THE WORK PLACE.
THE EPD HAS ADVISED WHARF PROPERTIES LIMITED, THE OWNER OF OCEAN TERMINAL, ON MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION.
/A DEPARTMENT