XN000022-1974-03-14 — Page 28

Thursday, March 14, 1974

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1 Making the moving annual average of the Consumer Price Index,

which tends to iron out seasonal fluctuations, there has been an increase

of 37.5 per cent in those five years. As there was an extremely high

increase for the quarter ending September 1973, which may have distorted

the position somewhat, a slightly lower adjustment would seem reasonable.

Hence it is proposed to raise the wage ceiling by 33 per cent from

$1,500 to $2,000 a month.

"In this way, entitlement would be restored under the ordinanco

to those non-manual workers whose present wages may resaonably be considered

as equivalent in valuc to a monthly wage of up to $1,500 in 1968. Such

workers should not be denied protection merely because of a cost of living

adjustment in their wages."

In moving the second reading the Workmen's Compensation (Amendment)

Bill 1974, Mr. Li said that the present wage ceiling for the application

of the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance and the compensation rates paid

under it had been established in 1969. It was now proposed that compensation

payment scales be increased by one third, in line with the proposed increase

in the wage ceiling.

"Dependents of a worker killed in the course of his employment are

at present entitled to compensation, under Section 6 of the Ordinance, equal

to 36 months wages which should not be less than $7,200 or more than

Clause 3 of the bill proposes to increase these to $9,600 and

$45,000.

$60,000 respectively.

/"Secondly,