XN000022-1987-10-25 — Page 7

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1987

"AND THE TEN YEARS LENGTH OF SERVICE QUALIFICATION ALSO FALLS IN LINE WITH THE PRACTICE IN MOST PRIVATE PROVIDENT FUND SCHEMES.

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THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE IMPROVED LONG SERVICE PAYMENT SCHEME WOULD NOT ONLY PROVIDE RETIREMENT

AND BENEFITS MORE IMPORTANTLY IT WOULD COMPENSATION FOR DISMISSAL FOR WORKERS, REMAIN A NON-CONTRIBUTORY SCHEME AS FAR AS EMPLOYEES WERE CONCERNED.

HE REITERATED THAT FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SCHEME WOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE FUTURE.

BEEN GENERALLY

LOOKING BACK ON THE OPERATION

OF THE SCHEME, THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT THE LONG SERVICE PAYMENT PROVISIONS HAD OBSERVED BY EMPLOYERS.

SINCE THE SCHEME CAME INTO BEING IN JANUARY LAST YEAR, THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT RECEIVED SOME 710 COMPLAINTS FROM WORKERS CONCERNING LONG SERVICE PAYMENT, REPRESENTING 2.3 PER CENT OF ALL THE DISPUTE CASES RECEIVED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN THE SAME PERIOD.

LABOUR

AS A RESULT OF CONCILIATION EFFORTS BY THE DEPARTMENT'S RELATIONS SERVICE, 404 CASES WERE SETTLED WITH A TOTAL OF $3.3 MILLION PAID OUT TO WORKERS.

ANOTHER 11 CASES WERE SETTLED BY PRIVATE ARRANGEMENT AFTER DEPARTMENT'S INITIAL CONCILIATION AND THE REST WERE REFERRED TO LABOUR TRIBUNAL FOR ADJUDICATION.

THE

THE

THE SPOKESMAN ALSO REVEALED THAT OF THE DISMISSAL CASES, 136 RELATED TO OLD AGE AND 46 TO PROLONGED ILLNESS OF WORKERS.

"FROM OUR EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING THESE CASES, EMPLOYERS TENDED TO DISMIS8 THEIR WORKERS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, BUT VERY FEW DID IT JUST FOR THE ONE REASON THAT THE WORKERS WERE GETTING OLD," THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

"WORKERS WHO ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE REASONS DISMISSAL CAN ALWAYS SEEK HELP FROM THE LABOUR RELATIONS EMPLOYERS WILL HAVE TO PAY THEM LONG SERVICE PAYMENT IF FOR DISMISSALS ARE NOT JUSTIFIED," HE ADDED.

FOR THE IR SERVICE AND THE REASONS

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