ENG-1968 — Page 54

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EMPLOYMENT

Young persons between the age of 14 and 16 years may work only eight hours a day in industry with a break of one hour after five hours continuous work. Children under the age of 14 are prohibited from working in industry and no woman nor young person are allowed to work at night or underground in any mine. There are no legal restrictions on hours of work for men. Most men employed in industry work ten hours a day or less. Government employees and those in concerns operating on western lines work eight hours. The restrictions on the hours of work for women, which were introduced in January 1959 and which have been amended to allow for the phased introduction of a 48 hours week, resulted in a decrease in the number of hours worked by men in the same concern. By December 1, 1968, 203 factories were operating on eight-hour shifts. These consisted mainly of cotton spinning, cotton weaving, and silk weaving. It was estimated that 38,551 men and 43,024 women were working eight hours a day. A rest period of one hour a day is customary throughout industry. Except where continuous production demands a rotation of rest days, which are usually unpaid, Sunday is the most common rest day. Many male industrial workers do not have a rest day but it is customary to grant unpaid leave on request.

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LABOUR ADMINISTRATION AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

The Commissioner of Labour is the principal adviser to the Governor on labour and industrial relations policies. All labour legislation is initiated in the Labour Department which ensures that Hong Kong's obligations under International Labour Conventions are observed. The establishment of the department has been in- creased substantially and the organization of the department now provides for five divisions: Labour Relations, Development, Industry, Employment, and Industrial Health. Two labour advisers were appointed during the year to assist the Commissioner, one on labour legislation and the other on all aspects of industrial relations with particular reference to joint consultation.

The Employment Ordinance 1968, which came into force on September 27, 1968 and which repealed and re-enacted, with certain amendments, the Employers and Servants Ordinance, was the most important piece of labour legislation enacted during the year. It lays down general provisions on the duration and termination