XN000022-1980-06-25 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1980

MR HENDERSON POINTED OUT THAT WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION WAS : STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY IMPOSED ON THE EMPLOYER AND WAS BASED ON THE NO FAULT PRINCIPLE.

IN CASES WHERE THERE MIGHT BE NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF THE EMPLOYER THE INJURED WORKER (OR HIS DEPENDANTS IN A CASE OF DEATH) COULD CLAIM CIVIL DAMAGES THROUGH THE COURTS FOR WHICH THERE WAS NO FIXED MAXIMUM LEVEL. PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION UNDER THE ORDINANCE WAS NO BAR TO A CLAIM FOR DAMAGES.

DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS ADJOURNED.

APPRENTICESHIP LAW MADE EVEN BETTER *****

SINCE COMING INTO FORCE IN 1976, THE APPRENTICESHIP ORDINANCE HAS HAD FAR-REACHING BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON APPRENTICE TRAINING IN HONG KONG.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, THE HON J.N. HENDERSON, TODAY WHEN MOVING THE SECOND READING OF THE APPRENTICESHIP (AMENDMENT) BILL 1980 IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

MR HENDERSON SAID THE ORDINANCE HAD BROUGHT ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS, BOTH QUALITATIVE AS WELL AS QUANTITATIVE, IN THE TRAINING OF YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED IN DESIGNATED TRADES AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, IN NON-DESIGNATED TRADES.

TO DATE, 36 CRAFT TRADES HAD BEEN SPECIFIED AS DESIGNATED TRADES AND BY LAST APRIL, THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED APPRENTICES IN THESE TRADES WAS MORE THAN 7 600.

IN ADDITION, THERE WERE 533 CRAFT AND 886 TECHNICAL APPRENTICES IN NON-DESIGNATED TRADES, WHOSE CONTRACTS HAD BEEN VOLUNTARILY REGISTERED UNDER THE ORDINANCE, BRINGING THE TOTAL OF REGISTERED APPRENTICES TO OVER 9 000.

SINCE 1976 MORE THAN 13 700 APPRENTICES HAD HAD THEIR CONTRACTS REGISTERED,

MR HENDERSON POINTED OUT THAT THE BILL WAS THE RESULT OF A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE ORDINANCE AND ITS SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION.

THE BILL CONTAINED VARIOUS AMENDMENTS DESIGNED TO TIDY UP THE WORDING IN PLACES, TO REMOVE MINOR ANOMALIES, TO RECTIFY SOME OMISSIONS AND TO REFLECT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN OTHER LEGISLATION GOVERNING THE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS ADJOURNED.

THE APPRENTICESHIP (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 1980, WHICH WERE MADE FOLLOWING THE REVIEW, WERE LATER MOVED BY MR HENDERSON AND WERE APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL.

/MR HENDERSON