TNAG-0091-FCO40-127-Social-welfare-working-conditions-in-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 93

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(a)

"A third measure, which might eventually become part of the proposed employment ordinanes, concerns fee-charging employment agencies. It would introduce comprehensive measures of supervision over all activities of these agencies to protect workers from unscrupulous exploitation. Some initial safeguards will be included in the employment Bill to which I have already referred. A fourth related measure would deal with the interests of work- s changing

ers going overseas for employment under contract. play mulut agender

Interest

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Compensation

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to comployment una conhall "A second major piece of legislation concerning the welfare of large y Workout number of workers which I am examining involves the workers' Compensation

Compensation Ordinance.

I intend to put forward proposals for amending the existing

The first Bill deals with the extension o legislation in two stages. the coverage of existing provisions in terms of both monthly income and occupations, the question of compulsory insurance in selected dangerous trades, the benefits for those who become incapacitated permanently, and the rate of periodical payments in the light of recommendations of the International Labour Organisation and established practice elsewhere. Subsequently, I propose of deal in a second Bill with the supply of prostheses and hospitalisation excluding out-patient treatment. These two Bills seek to provide injured workers with benefits more in line with present-day conditions in Hongkong.

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ity

"A group of four measures deals with holidays and rest days. One is a simple measure to ensure that industrial holidays coincide with qualq valt. general holidays in the Holiday» Ordinance which was amended last year. to holidays The second contemplates changes in the qualifications for holidays with

pay and improved entitlements to sickness allowance especially after & Rar dayı

long service. The third concerne rest days for wome: and young persona yp√in some non-industrial sectors. A rest day in every seven days is a

for a

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statutory right for these workers in industrial employment. The possibility of en extension to the non-industrial sectors of sho; s and service industries is being examined.

"The fourth measure concerns the provision of a statutory right to a six-day weeƐ for adult mal: workers in industry and in some services. For over a year the department has encouraged employers, with some success, to introduce voluntarily a standard six-day week. A statutory right to a six-day weak would allow for voluntary overtime on the seventh day.

"Another group of four related subjects is of particular concern for young persons, The problems of industrial training are being considered in two measures. Legislation on important aspects of craft apprenticeship would deal with the contents of apprenticeship contracts, the protection of apprentices, and the approval of apprenticeship training schemes. Later, a sor: comprehensive measure on industrial training may emerge from the advice given by the Industrial Training Advisory Committee and its ten associated committees. I am also co-operating with other for concede departments in considering legislation for a minimum age of employment

in hotel, restaurant, and boarding house trades, and, pessibly, also in hawking.

1 maimun

Laborn Ham agéneut

དང ཚིགས པའི མ མཚ ནད ཆུ བང སྨད་པའི་

"Yet another related group of four items concerns those aspecta of labour-nanagement relations which usually attract most attention, Considerable interest ha been shown in recent months in the problems of labour-management relations, It is sometimes overlooked that most difficulties which arise between labour and management are solved directly by the two parties concerned. Although in 1966-7, the Conciliation Section dealt with about 2,600 cases, I am quite sure that these

It is represent only a small proportion of disputes of all kinds.

a proper function of the department to attempt to reconcile two parties who wish to turn to a neutral third party for help. Recourge to voluntary conciliation has been the common and generally successful method of procedure for over 20 years.

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