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0咳
C. M. A.
1978 September 1
The Editor,
Correspondence Column,
The Times,
New Printing House Square,
London WC1 X8EZ,
England.
Dear Sir,
On July 24, Mr. Bob Cryer, Under-Secretary of State for Industry, stated in the House of Commons that Hong Kong workers were "grossly exploited", and he seemed to imply that Hong Kong, like South Korea, had no health, safety or employment legislation.
We are most perturbed by this criticism, especially from a senior official of Her Majesty's Government. From time to time Hong Kong has been the subject of comments, of which some are based on fact, but many are prejudicial, indicating inadequate information or vested interest. We naturally believe that statements by Her Majesty's Government or its officials must be factual and accurate. It is most disturbing therefore to learn of Mr. Cryer's statement, which was anything but correct. We do not propose to brief your readers on the measures taken in Hong Kong in social progress through joint efforts by the government and the community; it may be sufficient to point out that wages in Hong Kong are the second highest in Asia, that there has been a continuous shortage of manpower in industry, that labour- management confrontations have been few and far between and that, whereas the material benefits accruing to the average employee have been rising uninterruptedly over the years, the number of working hours has steadily declined. We consider that it is a departure from the truth to say that Hong Kong workers are grossly exploited. That is a view based on neither facts nor impartial assessment. We submit that Hong Kong's case cannot be fairly heard in Great Britain, given this sort of official misconception and accusation. Moreover, as Hong Kong is under the direct administration of Her Majesty's Government, there
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