Reference....
In assessing the percentage, account must be taken of the fact that the prohibition of night work only applies to "workmen" i.e. manual workers. It does not apply to hotel staff, clerks, nurses, etc. And all the exemptions to date have been in the manufacturing sector of manual employment. figures are as follows:
No. of females employed
Manual in Manufacturing Sector All manual employment
Total employees (restricted officially to manual, shop assistants, clerks, industrial clerks).
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21,975
27,891
46,826
The
No.covered by exemption
%
3,873
17.6
3,873
13.9
3,873
8.3
Quote percentages in the industrial field (i.e. relative to the first and perhaps the second quoted above) 4.4 for U.K. and 0.18 for Hong Kong. The above figures therefore appear extraordinarily high. But, and it is a big "but", the figure of 3,873 does not represent the number employed on the night shift at any given time it is the total of female employees of the firms given at the time they claimed exemption. the firms now work a rotating three shift system,
and many recruited extra female workers when they started the new night shift so the number of females employed at night at any given time equals 3,873 plus an unknown number of new recruits, divided by three. The actual percentages are therefore some- thing over a third of those quoted above, which makes them nearer U.K's figure.
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Although Singapore is eager not to stand in the way of industrial expansion, exemption is not granted automatically. A careful examination of the circumstances of the employer is made by a Labour Officer of the Ministry of Labour and the re is full consultation with the union (or a sample survey of employees if they are not organised). The Ministry is opposed to regular night shifts for women and expects the employer, before exemption is granted, to organise a rotating shift system (usually changing each week) and to do this he must get his present employees and their union representatives to accept the change in working conditions. Usually an extra payment of between 20 and 50 cents an hour is negotiated for the night shift (which helps former day workers to agree to going on nights every third week) and transport is arranged for the night shift. Some firms supply free refreshment at night. So far there has been no problem in organising a 3 shift system and no application for exemptions has been turned down.
"
(G. Foggon)
2 December 1969.
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