5

NO PLANS TO INCREASE RATE OF SICKNESS ALLOWANCE

**

ΤΟ THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO PLANS PRESENT RATE OF SICKNESS ALLOWANCE, THE MANPOWER, THE HON K.Y. YEUNG, SAID IN THE (WEDNESDAY).

PROPOSE AN INCREASE

THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND TODAY LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

IN

HON

TAM YIU-CHUNG, 35(1) OF THE

FOR AT WOULD HAVE

LEAST FOUR CONSECUTIVE DRAWN HAD HE BEEN

MR

YEUNG EMPLOYMENT

THE IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY POINTED OUT THAT AT PRESENT, UNDER SECTION

THE ORDINANCE,

DAILY RATE OF SICKNESS ALLOWANCE PAYABLE TO AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAD BEEN CERTIFIED ILL DAYS WAS TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAGES HE WORKING.

"THIS RATE WAS RAISED FROM ONE HALF WHEN IT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1961 TO TWO-THIRDS IN 1977.

CENT WHERE IT

"THE RATE IS BETTER THAN THE INTERNATIONAL NORM AT 60 PER AND COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH THAT OBTAINING IN, SAY, JAPAN, IS 60 PER CENT, AND WITH TAIWAN, WHERE IT IS 50 PER CENT, HE SAID.

WOULD

41

TO BE WILLING

CONSIDER

GOVERNMENT NEVERTHELESS THE SOUNDLY ARGUED PROPOSALS FOR AN INCREASE AND WOULD IN THAT EVENT THE ADVICE OF THE LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD, MR YEUNG SAID.

WERK NOT

MR YEUNG ALSO SAID THAT SICK EMPLOYEES SICKNESS ALLOWANCE FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS BECAUSE TO DISCOURAGE MALINGERING AND ABUSE.

"THIS MINIMUM QUALIFYING PERIOD IS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND REGIONAL PRACTICE.

SEEK

ENTITLED ΤΟ

IT WAS NECESSARY

CONSISTENT

WITH

DAY WOULD WAGE FOR ALL

FOURTH "BUT A SICK EMPLOYEE WHO REMAINS ILL ON THE OBTAIN AN ALLOWANCE OF TWO-THIRDS OF HIS OR HER NORMAL FOUR DAYS."

AS

THE REGARDS

CERTIFICATION

OF

ILLNESS, MR ANY REGISTERED

YEUNG

SAID MEDICAL

EXISTING STATUTORY RULES PROVIDED THAT PRACTITIONER WOULD DO.

TO

"BUT WHERE THE EMPLOYER IS PROVIDING A FREE MEDICAL SERVICE HIS EMPLOYEES UNDER A SCHEME OF MEDICAL TREATMENT RECOGNISED BY THE

ILLNESS BR DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, IT IS ONLY REASONABLE THAT BY DOCTORS IN THAT SCHEME," MR YEUNG POINTED OUT.

CERTIFIED

GOVERNMENT

THEREFORE, HE SAID

THE

REASON FOR CHANGING THE RULES.

0

COULD SEE

NO COMPELLING

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