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question is asked in Parliament, what progress has been achieved. It does occasionally happen that we have to question some aspect of a proposed declaration, indeed the OLA is currently writing to you about Convention 144. In such cases we believe it would be wrong for a Minister
hakunat a particular Convention had been applied, even though the necessary legislation may well have been passed in Hong Kong. hope, therefore, that you can
agree to our suggestion.
4. Looking beyond 1978 we agree that there are few areas where progress can be made without significant policy changes. Certainly we could not ask for any movement on those Conventions dealing with labour relations until after Professor Turner's report has been studied, nor would we ask for any movement on those Conventions concerned with social security until you and we have had a chance to assess the success of the voluntary contribu- tory scheme now under consideration.
5. There are, however, three Conventions where some progress might in our view be possible after 1978:
6.
a) 100: Equal remmeration.
Given that the public sector has accepted with few problems the phased introduction of equal pay, is it not possible to consider again the principle being taken up in the private sector?
b) 120: Hygiene (commerce and offices). This sets the requirements which one would expect any reasonable employer to accept as a matter of course. I would, therefore, have thought that legislation enabling application of this Convention could well find general favour.
c) 140: Paid educational leave.
In Annex IV to your letter of 5 Jamıary you rightly pointed out that emphasis had been put on paid annual leave. Now that this has been achieved would it be
possible to turn to educational leave?
As you appreciate, the field of labour conditions and ILO Conventions is one in which Ministers take a
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