TNAG-0646-FCO40-794-Application-of-international-labour-conventions-to-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 139

CODE 18 - 17

Mr Duffy (Hong Kong Dept)

Reference LAG 022/393/1-

12

REVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONVENTIONS TO HONG KONG

1. We spoke las. week about the review of the application of ILO Conventions to Hong Kong which the Secretary of State directed in 1975 should be conducted annually. I see that the first such review was submitted to Lord Goronwy-Roperts with Mr O'Keeffe's minute or 20 February 1976 and you confirmed that Hong Kong Department would be initiating this year's review shortly.

2. In case it will be or some help I am attaching a nove compiled from this Department's records summarising the action which has been taken since 1 January 1976 with regard to Hong Kong's application of IL Conventions. In relation to the programme set out in the Colonial Secretariat's letter of 13 September 1970 (your reference HKK 211/625/1), which proposed five improved declarations in 1976 and four in 1977, there has been some slippage in that Convention No. 94, Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) has had to be carried over to 1977. Paragraph 4 of the report enclosed with the Secretariat's letter of 4 January 1977 refers. Proposals for an improved declaration on Convention 92, Accommodation of Crews (Revised), were not made until January 1977, but the necessary amendment to the Merchant Shipping Regulations had been made on 14 December 1976.

3.

For completeness the attached note includes a reference to the improved declaration made in January 1976 in respect of Convention 14, Weekly Rest, (Industry)

(Industry), but strictly this falis outside the present exercise; a second improvment was made in December 1976 in accordance with the intention stated in the Secretariat's letter of 13 September.

4. During 1976 first declarations were made in respect of two conventions recently ratified by the united Kingdom. These are No. 114, Fishermen's Articles of Agreement (declaration registered on 12 July 1976), and No. 140, Paid Educational Leave (8 September 1976). In each case the declaration was "Decision Reserved", so the figure of 33 for the total number of Conventions which Hong Kong constitutionally can apply but does not do so remains unchanged.

9 February 1977

RECL

RE

IN

22 FEB 1977

HKK 211/625

Axilieunes

R Willcocks

Overseas Labour Adviser

Department