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Factories & Industrial Undertakings (Amendment) Regulation
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in moving a motion on the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Amendment) Regulation 1996 in Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
I move the motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.
The Sex Discrimination Ordinance, which renders certain kinds of sex discrimination unlawful, was enacted on July 14, 1995. Exceptions are however laid down in sections 12 and 57 of the Ordinance for cases in which sex is a genuine occupational qualification, and for acts done for the purposes of protecting women. Such exceptions will expire in one year's time after the enactment of the Ordinance, unless they are extended by another year by resolution of this Council.
Regulation 25 of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Regulations provides that no woman should be permitted to clean any dangerous part of any machinery or mill-gearing while the machinery or mill-gearing is in motion. The regulation is listed under Schedule 3 of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance as one of the provisions to which exceptions under sections 12 and 57 apply.
The Administration agrees that there is no evidence to suggest that women are more accident prone than their male counterparts in performing certain dangerous jobs. I therefore propose that the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Amendment) Regulation 1996, which repeals the references to woman in regulation 25(1) and (2), should be approved by Members.
The proposal has been endorsed by the Labour Advisory Board.
Mr President, I beg to move.
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