14
earn interest in London and to prop up the pound. Social security provisions in the Colony were said by the Working Party on Social Security in 1967 to be conspicuous by their almost total ab- sence," even when comparisons were made with other countries in South East Asia and the Far East.
66
The disgraceful record of the 1960s needs to be underlined because it illus- trates a basic fact about the power elite in Hong Kong: their vast disregard for the human consequences of their kind of "success." The booming 1960s was a time when much could have been done to im- prove conditions. It was not done be- cause, in the eyes of the rulers, nothing needed to be done; the system was work- ing beautifully without "interference": the indices of growth all proved it. The existence of economic growth eliminated the need for social development. This smug regard for the efficacy of "crude capitalism" was temporarily disturbed by the 1967 riots. The threat which they posed, not only to public order but to profits, galvanised the Government into action and made the employers receptive to certain reforms.
The Labour Department, in particular, has been able to push through a consider- able programme. Among the most im- portant items have been an extension of legal protection to non-industrial as well as industrial workers so that all are now entitled to improved sickness allowance and holidays; the introduction of unpaid maternity leave; an entitlement for all male workers to take one rest day a week (unpaid); the establishment of redund- ancy payments; an overhaul of work- men's compensation; safeguards against employers absconding without paying wages due; and the progressive reduc- tion of working hours for women and young persons to 48 hours a week. In addition, a Labour Tribunal has been established; some protection against vic- timisation accorded to individual trade unionists; and conciliation and arbitra- tion procedures for settling disputes estab- lished on a firmer basis. Yet this impres- sive list merely indicates the abdication of governmental responsibility in this field
until the 1967 riots jolted the rulers into action. And, in spite of the lost ground made up, the position in the Colony to- day remains deplorable.
working conditions
Take, for example, hours of work. In February 1970 the Government brought in the right of all manual workers to take four rest days a month; that is to say, in 1970 the Government decided that men need not work seven days a week. Yet the 1971 Census showed that of the persons aged ten years and over who were en- gaged in productive work for more than fifteen hours during the seven days be- fore the Census, almost half of them worked more than 54 hours a week. Al- most a quarter (23 per cent) worked 55-64 hours, 13.5 per cent 65-74 hours, 7.7 per cent 75-84 hours, and 3.3 per cent worked for 85 hours or longer. This means, for example, that 174,439 work- ers were working at least 75 hours a week, while 13,792 were working at least 105 hours a week. One reason for this is that the rest days are unpaid so that many workers cannot afford to take them. In a number of cases workers not only lose a day's pay but they also lose a "good attendance" bonus (a common incentive in the textile industry) if they take their rest days. However, life is not all work. Since 1 January 1974, workers have had a statutory entitlement to six separate days holiday a year. And these are holi- days with pay; provided they have been in continuous employment for three months before each statutory holiday.
Another example of generosity is sick pay. After four years' delay a revised scheme came into effect on 1 July 1973. A worker qualifies for this if he has worked for his employer under a continu- ous contract for not less than three months immediately preceding a “sick- ness day." Then, for every month he has worked he accumulates a day's sickness pay, up to a maximum of twenty four days. But if he falls sick, the number of days on which he is paid the allowance is deducted from his accumulated total of sickness days. So to qualify for the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.