XN000022-1984-07-11 — Page 17

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 1984

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MR THOMAS SAID THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY LEGAL AID SCHEME AND THE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE LEGAL AID ORDINANCE WERE A GREAT STEP FORWARD.

+SOME MAY SAY THAT THE SCHEME IS STILL UNDULY RESTRICTED

IN ITS APPLICATION BUT IT SHOULD BE VIEWED AS AN EXPERIMENT ON WHICH FURTHER EXTENSIONS CAN BE BUILT ONCE IT HAS BECOME ESTABLISHED AND IS OPERATING SMOOTHLY, HE SAID.

DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS ADJOURNED.

EMPLOYMENT BILL GETS BROAD SUPPORT

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EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES IN GENERAL SUPPORTED THE EMPLOYMENT (AMENDMENT) (NO. 3) BILL 1984 IN PRINCIPLE, THE HON ALLEN LEE SAID TODAY,

SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR LEE SAID: THIS BILL CONTAINS SOME AMENDMENTS WHICH CAUSE CONCERN TO A MULTITUDE OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.+

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE FOUR EMPLOYERS' ORGANISATIONS WOULD LIKE TO DRAW ATTENTION TO SECTION 11B OF PART IIA CONCERNING THE END OF YEAR PAYMENT.

IN HIS VIEW, THE CONSEQUENCES OF A CONTRACT BETWEEN EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE BY VIRTUE OF +ORAL+, +EXPRESSED+ OR IMPLIED+ MEANS MIGHT CAUSE UNNECESSARY DISPUTE OVER THE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONTRACT.

+ I KNOW THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAD NOTED THIS POINT BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT AMENDMENT IS NOT FEASIBLE BECAUSE THE LAW HAS LONG ALLOWED FOR SUCH CONTRACTS TO BE RECOGNISED,+ MR LEE SAID.

HE ADDED THAT HE AND OTHER MEMBERS HAD A DISCUSSION WITH

NINE WORKERS' UNIONS OVER THE BILL.

+A FEW POINTS REGARDING PAYMENT OF MATERNITY LEAVE, DEFINITION OF 'WAGES', SUB-CONTRACTORS AND MAIN CONTRACTORS OVER THE PAYMENT OF WAGES AND THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE END OF YEAR PAYMENT HAD BEEN RAISED.

+THESE POINTS HAD BEEN PASSED ON TO THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR TO CONSIDER WHILE SOME POINTS WERE CLARIFIED WITHOUT FURTHER MISUNDERSTANDING, HE SAID.

TO AVOID ANY DELAY OF THE BILL, MR LEE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT IT WOULD BE PASSED AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, LEAVING OTHER SUGGESTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED AND, IF APPLICABLE, INCORPORATED INTO THE ORDINANCE IN THE FUTURE.

THANKING ME