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supervisor, technician and craftsman levels. As at 18 July 1990, 2 718 workers were approved in principle as meeting the criteria for entry under the scheme. The majority of them were in the construction and manufacturing sectors. In June 1990, the government decided that a further 2 700 skilled workers should be admitted due to the persistent shortage of labour. Two additional schemes admitting 10 000 experienced operatives who are in short supply and 2 000 construction workers for the new airport and airport-related projects would also be introduced. All these workers from outside Hong Kong will enjoy protection as set out in a standard employment contract which contains terms not less favourable than those provided under the Employment Ordinance and wages not less favourable than the prevailing median rate in Hong Kong.
Domestic servants mainly from the Philippines are also recruited. Before their applications for entry into Hong Kong are approved by the Director of Immigration, such workers are required to enter into employment contracts with their employers and the contracts should be attested by the Commissioner for Labour. The lowest possible wage for foreign domestic helpers is reviewed periodically. The salary range may in some cases appear to be lower than that of their local counterparts. However, after taking into
into consideration the fringe benefits such
as medical attention, food and quarters provided by employers, their salary range is about at par with that of local domestic helpers. Their employers are also required, to provide a guarantee of maintenance and repatriation.
Article 13
When workers emigrate from Hong Kong for employment in areas outside Hong Kong where the cost of living is higher than that in Hong Kong, wages provided for in their contracts attested by the Commissioner for Labour accordance with the Contracts for Employment Outside Hong Kong Ordinance are suitably higher than wages payable for the same occupation in Hong Kong. Very few emigrant workers are accompanied by families.
As far as
movement of
of labour within Hong Kong is concerned, there are no significant differences in the cost of living in different parts of Hong Kong to be taken into account.
Article 14
PART V REMUNERATION OF WORKERS AND RELATED QUESTIONS
In Hong Kong, most wages are customarily fixed by agreements between workers and their employers. Wage levels are affected more by the supply of and demand for labour than by systematic negotiations on the basis of productivity, or claims of unsatisfactory relativity with other establishments. Consequently, uniform wage structures exist in only a limited number of trades. It is common for wages to vary considerably within a particular occupation according to the skill of the individual workers, and this is accepted by both management and labour. On the other hand, in those undertakings where labour is adequately organised or where old customs of craft persist, general wage agreements are in force and a form of collective negotiation is practised. Agreements on conditions of employment are sometimes negotiated as a direct result of the settlement of a dispute with the assistance of the Labour Department.
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