TNAG-0087-FCO40-123-Conditions-of-employment-for-Hong-Kong-Chinese-working-in-th-1969 — Page 50

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

Then angement's And a fitte

af vangady agamit

Im

route which

&

worker to parta preagention of the pe tim Lamage The contrast.

frematurely

nevo tletoff

The renticed in provider for this habelady to be to anopfened

E

a has new employer if the worker freely consents a re

T

terminated his contraet early.

07.

a regenrent a Hke lave band and cle at 13 mx. Fto 64 continety at termination before we pas disquentat pent Employment (Euching eware Worker

Again, the bias in favour of the worker

is recognised but the reason for this is that alien workers

-

and the

provision applies only to them are not permitted to stay in this country

Jonger than their work permit allows they are foreigners who are in

need of protection in a strange land and they cannot be allowed to become

a burden on the country's resources. It is wortà noting that Work

permits will not be granted unless the employer guarantees the worker's

ca further

repatriation and one of the reason for this is that during his period of

employment the worker can seldom earn sufficient to pay for these expenses

himself

The Hong Kong Government therefore places the responsibility

A fund...

brings

#

therefore

I

employer com

on the employer who brought them to the country in the first place and part of this auspice from The employee

from The employee who prematurali, terminate hist the latter is surely aware of this provision when he signs the contract.

8. Mr. Burn's problem is essentially one that is faced by all employers

who bring foreign workers to this country and, as he says in his letter,

other firms in the same business as his own do not appear to have found

difficulty in accepting the Hong Kong Government's requirements in this

in his so efforts to secure the

matter.

78.

and

LA

he

^

Inability to make workers observe the terms of contracts is a problem and

On the question of the enforcement of contracts, Mr. Burn has The

practical difficulty of making worlchi doc.coe the terms of the contact approached many public authorities, both here and in Hong Kong. Inevitably

a reat Que

we efforts to ccense are enforcement the gist of their advice has been that a contract of employment is a

matter between the parties concerned and that, in the circumstances

describes, no public authority has either the duty or the right to enforce

compliance with its provisions. If either party commits a breach of

contract of employment, the remedy, if any, lies in a civil action in

the courts. I am sure that if Mr. Burn has consulted his solicitors or

Employers Association, he will have been given similar advice and that

they will have explained to him some of the difficulties that an employer

may expect to encounter in an action against an employee in the courts.

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