TNAG-0573-FCO40-706-Monitoring-of-progress-made-on-planning-paper-on-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 69

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P.A

HONG KONG: NEW LEGCO MEMBERS

1. The Reverend Patrick McGovern and the Reverend Joyce Bennett, the two new LegCo members who were expected to speak on behalf

of the interests of the working population in Hong Kong, made their maiden speeches in LegCo on 27 October. Both lived up to

expectations.

2. The Rev. Patrick McGovern called for a more rapid and more realistic improvement in the living conditions of workers. He maintained that the proposed one week's paid holiday a year from 1978 was too short and that the time required for bringing it into effect was too long. He suggested that it should be possible to legislate for 14 days' paid holiday in 1977 rather than 1978. If this could not be achieved, some provision at least should be made for increased holidays according to years of service.

3. He pointed out to his fellow members that according to figures given in March 1976 real wages had not yet reached the level given in September 1971, that during this period of decline in real wages the number of applications for registration of industrial establishments never fell below 600 and that there had been, in sum, an increase in real profits each year up to 1975.

4.

Father McGovern considered that better working conditions, especially more paid holidays, would lead to greater productivity and thus there would be no loss of profits. He also argued that, given the weakness of organized labour in Hong Kong, labour legislation should be geared to standards which would prevail if there were collective bargaining between management and labour, i.e. the Government should compensate for the lack of effective trade unions in Hong Kong.

5. The Rev. Joyce Bennett spoke on education, health and the care of juvenile delinquents. She suggested that the government should shed its responsibilities for running primary schools and concentrate its efforts on improving the quality of teaching. She also wished to see the range of subjects which could be submitted for examinations