TNAG-0230-FCO40-266-Conditions-of-employment-of-labour-force-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 37

CONFIDENTIAL

Is it not just at the small establishments that night work for women

will be most abused?

12. The minimum number of women to be permitted at a night shift will be one hundred with, where necessary, one supervisor to every ten women, and there are a number of other conditions which have to be satisfied (details in paragraph 22) not to mention prior inspection by the Department of Labour. The Chinese Manufacturers Association have

strongly criticised the fact that smaller establishments will not be allowed to have women working at night but there is no intention of

relaxing this vital condition. So far, nine applications have been received from textile factories who propose to employ 1,080 women at night. This is only 0.9% of all women employees in the textile industry.

If workers are required to turn out for work on their rest days, why won't they be paid overtime?

<<

a lot

13.

They probably will. I think it very unlikely that a Hong Kong worker who is entitled to take a day off if he so wishes will turn out for work on that day unless he gets paid a premium for it. We expect some teething difficulties in the non-industrial establishments

of adjustment will be needed there but it is a valuable step forward to have embodied in legislation the entitlement of every Hong Kong worker, wherever he is employed, to a rest day each week.

The Minister has heard ofr point of view. Is he prepared to withdraw

his consent to night work for women in Hong Kong?

14.

I have listened with what I hope is both sympathy and understanding to the arguments which you have put forward. If I may say so, I think you have put your case very well indeed. But it is not a strong enough case to justify anything as drastic as you propose. The new scheme is to run for a trial period up to June 1971. We shall be watching its application and local reactions with care. What happens after June next year will depend upon what happens between now and then. I cannot

go further than that.

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CONFIDENT IAL

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