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EMPLOYMENT

Employees' Compensation

The Employees' Compensation Division of the Labour Department administers the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, ensuring that injured employees and dependants of deceased employees obtain compensation from their employers for occupational diseases, injuries or deaths caused by accidents arising out of and in the course of employment. It also administers a scheme to provide interest-free loans to injured employees or dependants of deceased employees who need financial assistance as a result of a work-related accident.

The Employees' Compensation Assessment Boards, which sit in 13 major hospitals throughout the territory, are responsible for assessing the loss of earning capacity of employees injured at work.

The division also assists persons suffering from pneumoconiosis to obtain compensation under

under the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance. The Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board, established under the Ordinance, administers the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund from which compensation for pneumoconiosis is paid. The board also finances research, educational and publicity activities and rehabilitation programmes for pneumoconiosis sufferers. Pneumoconiosis sufferers diagnosed before 1981 are not covered by the Ordinance. They receive ex gratia payments on a quarterly basis from the government.

The Occupational Deafness Compensation Scheme compensates employees suffering from occupational noise-induced deafness. It is administered by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board which was established in June 1995.

The Employees' Compensation Assistance Scheme makes payments due to an injured employee or dependants of a deceased employee where an employer defaults or an insurer becomes insolvent. It also covers claims from employers who fail to obtain indemnity from their insolvent insurers.

Telephone Enquiry Service

The Labour Department's General Enquiry Telephone Service handles enquiries on labour legislation and matters relating to the employment of local and imported workers, and provides information on various services offered by the department. Callers are guided by the computer-operated answering facility to select pre-recorded messages from a wide range of topics. They can also obtain information leaflets through the system if they have a fax machine.

The system, with Cantonese, Putonghua and English language options, operates round-the-clock. Staff operators deal with more complicated enquiries during office hours. The service handled 2 134 864 calls in 1997.