XN000022-1996-01-19 — Page 6

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Question: Will she come in the near future well before the hand-over?

Governor; I am sure she'll want to come back. She's been coming about once a year.

Question: Do you discuss with her about the imported labour issue where she saw the imported labours outside Government House?

Governor: I am not sure that she did. She might have heard them before they moved onto Happy Valley. Perhaps I can just say a word about that. We are extremely concerned that imported workers should be treated according to Hong Kong's labour laws and that there should be no breach of their employment contracts. Where there is any breaking of our labour laws, we'll take a very stern view of it and deal with it extremely vigorously. And I don't think that there should be any doubt about that and where the trade unions have drawn abuses to our attention, I want to express without reservation my gratitude to them for doing so, because we have to work hand-in-hand with employers and the trade unions in ensuring the best possible working conditions for the people of Hong Kong, whether local people or people who've come in to help us with particular projects. I just add that, I think so far, the ACP projects have created about 17,000 jobs for local people. I hope that the office we've set up to help

1 recruit local people for ACP projects will recruit even more, and that they will all be employed as safely as possible according to our labour laws and that any people from other communities who've come and worked here as imported labours will also enjoy the full protection of the law and will get the terms and conditions which they are promised when they are recruited.

Question: (inaudible)

Governor: No, but Joseph Wong and the employment and manpower department have been discussing the issue with the Legislative Council and the Legislative Council panel in the last few days. And I am sure that they are well aware of the community's concerns and the issues which the community wants to see addressed. Above all, we've been taking more vigorous and vigorous measures to deal with the abuses. Thank you very much indeed.

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