ENG-1984 — Page 136

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EMPLOYMENT

provide workers with subsidised meals or food allowances, attendance bonuses, free medical treatment, and a Lunar New Year bonus of one month's pay or more. Free or subsidised accommodation and transport are also provided by some establishments. Since March 1982, an expanded survey of wages, salaries and employee benefits has been con- ducted, to record wage rate statistics for non-manual workers in the manufacturing in- dustries as well as for manual workers and non-manual workers in the non-manufacturing industries.

The Employment of Children Regulations, made under the Employment Ordinance, prohibit the employment of children under the age of 15 in any industrial undertakings. Children who have attained the age of 13 may be employed in non-industrial establish- ments subject to very stringent conditions aimed at ensuring their education to Form 3 and at protecting their health, safety and welfare.

Under the Women and Young Persons (Industry) Regulations, women and young persons aged 15 to 17 are permitted to-work eight hours a day and six days a week in industry. Women and young persons aged 16 and 17 must be given a break of at least 30 minutes after five hours of continuous work. In the case of young persons aged 15, the break must not be less than one hour. Women may be employed to work overtime for not more than two hours a day and 200 hours a year. Overtime employment of young persons is not permitted. Furthermore, women are not allowed to work between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., while young persons are prohibited from working between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The regulations also prohibit women and young persons from working underground or in dangerous trades. Although night work for women is forbidden, some large factories - mostly those engaged in cotton-spinning - have been granted special permission to employ women at night, subject to certain stringent conditions.

Since early 1984, the Labour Inspectorate of the Labour Department has taken up the responsibility for enforcing the provisions on compulsory insurance of the Employees' Compensation (Amendment) Ordinance. Under this, all employers are required to take out an insurance policy to compensate employees or their dependants for injury or death resulting from accidents arising out of and in the course of employment. They must also display notices giving details of the insurance policy.

In 1984, the Labour Inspectorate made 276 504 day and night inspections of places of employment which included both industrial and non-industrial establishments. Three special campaigns were conducted against the employment of children and illegal im- migrants, covering 31 450 establishments. During the year, 238 cases of child employment involving 238 children were brought before the courts.

Under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Regulations, no male employee may be employed to work underground in mines, quarries and industrial undertakings involving tunnelling operations unless he has been medically examined and certified fit for such work. Those under 21 have to be medically re-examined each year.

Control on Illegal Employment

Under the Immigration Ordinance, employers are prohibited from employing persons who have no valid proof of identity and those Vietnamese refugees who have been prohibited from taking up employment. The ordinance also requires all persons to carry proof of their identity and employers to maintain up-to-date records of their employees. These legislative requirements which aim at stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into Hong Kong are currently enforced by the Labour Inspectorate.