Stewart (9)
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Mr Murray
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts,
INDEX
HONG KONG: APPLICATION OF ILO CONVENTIONS
See 13
1. The Hong Kong Government have now provided their annual Yolio WITHIA report on the progress made in applying ILO Conventions in
1977 and the improvements planned for 1978.
2.
This
They claim to have made improvements in respect of six Conventions but we can accept that only five have been improved.
This is due to a difference of opinion as to the date on which an improvement can be regarded as having been made and not
because we dispute the real progress that has been made. apart, I am satisfied that the Hong Kong Government have kept to the agreement which we reached with them. I am also heartened by their intention to make improvements in a further six Conventions this year and believe that we should endorse these proposals.
3. After 1978 it will be much more difficult to maintain the present rate of progress. The Hong Kong Government have under- taken to look further into four Conventions, three of which are concerned with the minimum age for employment. Full application of these three will not therefore be possible until September 1980 when the school leaving age is raised to 15. This leaves thirty Conventions, out of sixty-nine, on which no improvement is envisaged at the moment.
4. A number of those which are applied in Britain touch on areas which are likely to be dealt with in Professor Turner's review of labour relations and I agree that no action can be taken on such Conventions until any policy changes resulting from the review have been agreed. Improved declarations on another group of Conventions depend upon the introduction of a full social security system, the first stage of which is now being introduced. There are also some which deal with the collection of statistical information which, in my view, would in any case be of little real benefit to the work force in
Hong Kong.
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