CONFIDENTIAL
Dec. 1967
April 1970
Dec. 1971
Beginning of phased reduction over 5 years to an 8 hour day for women and young persons, with an increase of permitted overtime by stages (as temporary measure to facilitate the change over) to a maximum of 300 hours a year.
Male workers entitled to 4 rest days a month.
8 hour day finally in force for women and young persons; maximum permitted overtime 2 hours a day and not more than 300 hours a year.
There are still no regulations_governing the hours of work of males over 187
23. A modest immediate aim of policy must be to reduce the hours of permitted overtime for women and young persons by stages similar to those by which they were increased. Mr George Thomas gave an undertaking to this effect in the House of Commons on 24 January 1968 in answer to a Question, and Lord Shepherd, then liinister of State, made a similar commitment in a letter to Mr Thornton HP at about the same time. I was present with Lord Shepherd in October 1957 when the reduction of these hours of work was discussed in Hong Kong with officials and Unofficial Members of Legislative Council. It was made quite clear in these discussions that the increase in permitted overtime was a temporary measure conceded in order to facilitate the change over to reduced hours of work. However, when proposals for a phased reduction to 200 hours of permitted overtime were put to Executive Council on 17 July 1973 they were rejected, with a direction that the paper be resubmitted with information on the practice followed by Hong Kong's industrial competitors. Not only was the unanimous decision of the Labour Advisory Board set aside but, in addition, the basis for change had been switched to what went on elsewhere in South East Asia. I will return to this latter point later, but clearly if no administration in South East Asia is prepared to take even a modest lead in the improvement of labour conditions, then stagnation must be the result.
24.
In practice, few firms make use of overtime in excess of 250 hours a week and as a back stop the Commissioner of Labour has powers under the Regulations to permit special overtime for an additional 50 hours a year "for seasonal or special reasons". The disturbing aspect of all this, however, is the continuing reluctance of Executive Council to accept improved conditions of labour even where these have been approved by the Labour Advisory Board on which both employers and the trade unions are well represented. This is the only representative body on which worker opinion has any opportunity of making its views known on labour conditions and its recommendations should only exceptionally be set aside.
9
CONFIDENTIAL
/25
:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.