TNAG-1665-FCO40-2314-Hong-Kong-employment-issues-and-ordinances-foreign-domestic-1987 — Page 196

GRS 300

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELNO 777

OF 030312Z MARCH 67

CONFIDENTIAL

INFO ROUTINE MANILA, HAMILTON

FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS IN HONG KONG.

210/1

TOP COPY

a DIST-?

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

- 8 MAR 1987

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

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PARA. 2 OF YOUR TELNO 48 TO HAMILTON.

2. ON 24 FEBRUARY, THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CONSIDERED TWO MEMORANDA ON FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS (FDHS) AND ADVISED THAT THE NUMBER OF FOHS

IN HONG KONG SHOULD NOT (NOT) BE REDUCED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF A

CEILING ON NUMBERS TO BE ADMITTED. INSTEAD, THE COUNCIL ADVISED IN FAVOUR OF AN INCREASE IN THE MINIMUM WAGE PAYABLE (FROM THE PRESENT RANGE OF DOLLARS 1,900/2,050 TO DOLLARS 2,300). EXCO ALSO ASKED FOR

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF THE REVISED WAGE ON THE HONG KONG

LABOUR MARKET AND AN ANALYSIS OF WAGES NOW BEING PAID TO FDHS. WE

PLAN TO SUBMIT A FURTHER MEMORANDUM TO EXCO ON 10 MARCH.

3. EXCO ALSO CONSIDERED SOME PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CONDITIONS OF SERVICE OF FDMS, THE MOST IMPORTANT BEING THAT FDHS WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE HONG KONG TWO WEEKS AFTER THE TERMINATION OF A CONTRACT,

RATHER THAN BEING ALLOWED TO STAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SIX

MONTHS CONDITION OF STAY. THE OBJECT IS TO REDUCE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKING IN ANOTHER EMPLOYMENT THAT IS ILLEGAL IN TERMS OF THEIR

CONDITIONS OF STAY. MEMBERS WERE GENERALLY IN FAVOUR OF THE PROPOSAL

BUT SUGGESTED THAT FDHS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE A NEW

CONTRACT BEFORE THEY LEFT. WE WILL BE PUTTING THESE PROPOSALS BACK TO

EXCO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

4. EXCO ALSO AGREED TO THE PROPOSAL TO WARN BOTH EMPLOYERS AND

FDHS THAT IT IS AGAINST THE TERMS OF THEIR CONDITIONS OF STAY FOR

FDHS TO WORK PART-TIME.

5. AS NO LIMIT HAS NOW BEEN IMPOSED ON FILIPINOS WHO WISH TO WORK AS FDHS IN HONG KONG, WE PRESUME THE PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT COULD

NOT (NOT) REACT STRONGLY TO THESE CHANGES.

6. WE SHALL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THESE CHANGES ARE TO BE PUT INTO PRACTICES. BEFORE THEN, LEGCO WILL HAVE TO BE BRIEFED.

AKERS-JONES

HMLNAN 9398

MINIMAL

HKD WIAD

CONFIDENTIAL