ENG-1961 — Page 67

EMPLOYMENT

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A rest period of one hour a day is customarily given throughout industry but, when working hours exceed eight a day, the rest period may be prolonged to as much as three hours. Except where continuous production demands a rotation of rest days, Sunday is most commonly given. Rest days are usually unpaid. Many male industrial workers do not enjoy a rest day but it is customary to grant unpaid leave on request.

Retail Price Index. The Commerce and Industry Department compiles and publishes a monthly Retail Price Index. It covers a wide range of items found in the normal budget of both industrial and white-collar workers, calculated on the basis of a survey carried out in 1948. A base of 100 for March 1947 is used. Although Government has abandoned the payment of variable cost of living allowances based on this index, except for lower paid grades, some employers still follow the scales of cost of living allowances published monthly by the Labour Department.

The index remained remarkably steady for the first eight months of the year, varying only between 120 and 123, but typhoons and a seasonal shortage of vegetables and fish resulted in its rising to 126 in August and 128 in September. It fell again rapidly-and stood at 120 in December.

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LABOUR ADMINISTRATION

Labour Department. The rapid expansion of local industry in the post-war period has been reflected in a corresponding growth of the Labour Department from a modest establishment of 23 officers in 1947 to its present strength of 163. Together with the Registry of Trade Unions, it is primarily responsible for executing Government's policy in labour matters. The Commissioner of Labour is Government's principal adviser on labour affairs. He is ex officio chairman of the Labour Advisory Board, on which both labour and management are represented. The Commissioner is also chairman of the Technical Education and Vocational Training Standing Committee, and a member of the Kwun Tong Advisory Committee concerned with the provision of industrial sites. He is, concurrently, Commissioner of Mines.

All labour legislation is initiated in the department, which is also responsible for ensuring that Hong Kong's obligations under