TNAG-0876-FCO40-1086-Development-of-social-welfare-policy-in-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 20

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be much support fron female werkers for alternatives (c) - (f) since these schones would not significantly improve their welfare and would increase their financial liabilities. Generally speaking, a contributory scheme e tering solely for maternity benefits would cover too small en tres to be worth the effort unless various other social benefits were also included, that is to say, unless a comprehensive

s cial insurance syston were to be established.

3.7

►

Alternativo (g), which would relieve onployers and female workers of all financial burden would be difficult to justify, given...

the present limitation of publicly financed welfare benefits to those'' whose income falls below a minimun level and to the severely disabled.

3.8

The Working Group therefore recommends alternative (h) as the nest feasible method at present of financing paid maternity leave, i.c. by extending the individual empIcycr's liability under the Employment Ordinance, for the fellowing reasons:

(a) a legal framework lready exists and could

easily be adapted for this purpose;

(b) the benefits could be easily administered by

onployers and understood by employees;

(c) enforcement machinery already exists in the

Labour Department (Labour Relations Service); (d) in most neighbouring Asian countries. (including

Singapore and Halaysia) naternity benefits are stipulated in labeur legislation as an employer's

libility exclusively;

(c) a considerable number of employers in Hong Kong

are believed to have been granting maternity leave with pay to formle cnployees;

and

(f) although the Employment Ordinance covers only

manual workers, together with non-nanual vorkers earning not here than $3,500 per month, (nearly 99% of the labour force) the higher salary

fonale employees are unlikely to be deprived of

any diti nel benefits provided by statute to

lower wage oerners.

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