XN000022-1993-11-13+14 — Page 9

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1993

GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT IT'S ALWAYS VERY HELPFUL TO FEEL THAT ONE HAS THE SORT OF SOLID SUPPORT THAT EXISTS IN WESTMINSTER AT THE MOMENT. AND THERE HAVE BEEN, IT'S A SLIGHTLY PATHETIC TACTIC THAT SOMETIMES USED. ATTEMPTS TO DRIVE WEDGES HERE AND THERE OVER THE LAST YEAR OR EIGHTEEN MONTHS. NOW I NOTICE NOBODY IS REALLY TRYING THAT PARTICULARLY SERIOUSLY AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY FISSURES, THERE AREN'T ANY CRACKS IN THE SUPPORT FOR THE APPROACH THAT WE HAVE TAKEN BUT WHILE THERE ARE IN A FREE AND OPEN SOCIETY ALWAYS GOING ΤΟ BE SOME CRITICAL VOICES AND SOME PEOPLE WHO DON'T THINK YOU'VE GOT IT RIGHT. AND WE MUST TRY TO LEARN FROM THEM. OVERWHELMINGLY, THE POSITION IS THAT THERE IS VERY SOLID SUPPORT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, IN THE MEDIA, AT WESTMINISTER, IN THE GOVERNMENT, IN THE FOREIGN OFFICE FOR WHAT WE ARE DOING. THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE, I SUPPOSE, WHO LIKE MARTIN LEE AND THE UDHK THINK WE SHOULD HAVE GONE A BIT FURTHER AND THERE MAY BE ONE OR TWO WHO THINK WE SHOULDN'T HAVE CONE QUITE SO FAR. BUT BY AND LARGE, PEOPLE THINK WE HAVE GOT IT ABOUT RIGHT, AND I NOTICE ONCE AGAIN FROM A POLL IN ONE OF TODAY'S HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS THAT PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG SEEMS TO THINK THAT WE'VE GOT IT ABOUT RIGHT AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDeed.

QUESTION:

DID YOU SEE ROBIN MCLAREN AT THE HOSPITAL?

GOVERNOR : I DIDN'T, ALAS. I SENT HIM SOME FLOWERS AND SOME FRUITS BUT I, HAVING BEEN IN A HOSPITAL MYSELF IN THE PAST, I AM NOT SURE THAT DOING BUSINESS BY THE BEDSIDE TOO RAPIDLY AFTER YOU HAVE AN OPERATION, IS A VERY GOOD IDEA BUT I AM SURE WE ALL WISH HIM A VERY SPEEDY RECOVERY AND BACK TO HIS NORMAL VIGOROUS PACE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

WRITTEN CONTRACT FOR OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT A MUST

THE

LABOUR DEPARTMENT TODAY (SUNDAY) REMINDED EMPLOYEES INTENDING ΤΟ WORK OUTSIDE HONG KONG FOR FOREIGN EMPLOYERS TO ENTER INTO WRITTEN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS BEFORE THEY LEAVE HONG KONG FOR THE JOB TO SAFEGUARD THEIR OWN INTERESTS.

UNDER THE CONTRACTS FOR EMPLOYMENT OUTSIDE HONG KONG ORDINANCE, A FOREIGN EMPLOYER WHO IS NOT IN HONG KONG AND NOT CARRYING ON A BUSINESS IN HONG KONG IS REQUIRED TO ENTER INTO A WRITTEN CONTRACT WITH ALL LOCAL MANUAL EMPLOYEES AND NON-MANUAL EMPLOYEES WITH MONTHLY WAGES NOT EXCEEDING $20,000 FOR WORK OUTSIDE HONG KONG.

"

"THE CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT FOR ATTESTATION BEFORE THE EMPLOYEE'S DEPARTURE, LABOUR OFFICER (EXTERNAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE), MR CHENG WAI-MAN, SAID.

"THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT THE TERMS OF PROTECTION SPECIFIED IN THE CONTRACT ARE IN NO WAY LESS FAVOURABLE THAN THE PROVISIONS UNDER THE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION," HE EXPLAINED.

/"A CONTRACT