“ Anyone may be a member or an officer of a trade union provided he is ordinarily resident in the Colony and habitually engaged or employed in the relevant trade or occupation. Union executives must be elected by secret ballot and no one under 21 is eligible for office. Without the written consent of the Registrar, no one can be an officer of more than one registered trade union at the same time, but this restriction does not apply to an officer of a trade union who simultaneously holds office in a registered trade union federation of which his union is a member. ”

“ The Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance is the basis for the control of hours and conditions of work in industry. On December 1, amending legislation came into force which reduced the maximum standard working hours for women and young people, aged 16 and 17, to nine-and-a-half hours a day and 57 a week and requires hours of work to be reduced in stages over four years until, by December 1, 1971, the maximum standard hours for women and young persons employed in industry will be 48 a week. ”

“ Safety, Health and Welfare The Industrial Health Division of the Labour Department acts as an advisory service to government and industry on matters relating to the health of workers. Essentially, the work of the division is concerned with preventing occupational disease and protecting workers against health hazards in their working environment. Hazards to the health of workers are reported by the statutory notification of occupational disease, by the factory inspectorate or by officers of the division. ”

“ The Industrial Employment (Holidays with Pay and Sickness Allowance) Ordinance provides for six annual holidays to be given to workers in industrial establishments and for sickness allowance up to 12 days a year.
Young persons between the age of 14 and 16 may work only eight hours a day, 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 or young person is allowed to work at night or underground in any mine. ”

“ Apprenticeship systems in Hong Kong fall into either the traditional sector or the modern westernized sector, based on the British pattern of craft apprenticeship which is followed by government workshops and some of the larger industrial concerns. ”

“ The government has indicated that, while industry itself must be responsible for financing training at skilled and semi-skilled levels, it will assist by providing land free of premium for approved group-training schemes organized by industry ”

“ Responsibilities in the field of industrial training are divided among government departments. The training of operatives is the principal responsibility of the Labour Department in consultation with industry and any government department which may have an interest. Craftsman training is the responsibility of the Education Department where educational institutional training is concerned ”

“ In many old market towns and fishing settlements in the New Territories, traditional village industries still provide employment in the preparation of salt-fish, fish-paste, bean-curd, soya sauce and preserved fruits, the burning of coral and sea-shells for lime, brick-manufacture, boat building and repairing. ”

“ Those engaged in weaving, spinning, knitting and the manufacture of garments and made-up textile goods, accounted for a total of 184,989 and remained the largest section of this labour force. The plastics industry, which also employs a large number of out-workers, remained the second largest employer.
During the year under review, it appeared that the demand for labour in manufacturing industries exceeded the supply. There were 11,232 factories on record in the Labour Department at the end of the year, many of them small concerns. ”

“ Individuals acting in agreement or combination are given protection from the law relating to conspiracy and tort, provided that the act, if committed by one person, would not be punishable as a crime or not actionable if done without agreement or combination. ”

“ As most countries maintain strict control over the entry of foreign nationals seeking work, opportunities overseas for Hong Kong Chinese are limited. Hong Kong itself has a good labour market and it is not easy to recruit workers for employment abroad unless the wages offered are particularly attractive. ”

“ Industry in the New Territories is a comparatively recent development–apart from traditional trades in the main market towns and some pre-war textile factories in Tsuen Wan. In December, 1967, the Labour Department had on record 955 factories in the New Territories with a labour force of 63,513. The bulk of this industrial population is concentrated in the new township of Tsuen Wan which is designed as a balanced community and includes factories, housing, recreational facilities, services and other amenities. ”

“ They are left to pick up their skills by watching and imitating experienced artisans. The number of people seeking apprenticeships in traditional Chinese crafts has recently diminished because of readily available employment in modern factories.
By the amendment in 1965 of the Employers and Servants Ordinance, any apprenticeship contract for a period of six months or more is deemed to be a contract for one month, renewable from month to month, unless it has been attested by the Commissioner of Labour within one month after it was made. ”

“ Registered unions are required by law to keep accurate accounts which must be audited by a person approved by the Registrar, who must receive them within three months of the end of the union's financial year. Unions must also give to the Registrar, before April 1 each year, a return for the 12 months ended December 31 in the previous year, showing membership figures, the names and occupations of the principal officers and the name of the auditor. ”

“ Most of the members of its 65 affiliated unions are concentrated in shipyards, textile-mills and public utilities, or are seafarers. A further 16 unions, nominally independent, are friendly with the federation and participate in its activities. The other trade union federation, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council, sympathizes with the policies of the Taiwan authorities. Most of the members of its 63 affiliated unions and of the 29 nominally independent unions, which generally support the Trades Union Council, are employed in the catering and building trades. ”

“ The proposed technical institute will concentrate upon pre-apprenticeship, craft apprenticeship and instructor training and will take over courses now run by the Hong Kong Technical College, permitting the College to concentrate on higher levels. There are also courses in private schools for, among others, aircraft pilots, radio operators, radio technicians, typists, stenographers, book-keepers, dressmakers and tailors, artists, shoe-makers, rattan-workers, printers, wood-workers, painters and car drivers. ”

“ Because of the complex structure of this last industry the original committee investigating engineering is now being replaced by four separate industrial committees covering automobile repairs and servicing, electrical apparatus and appliances, machine shop and metal working, and shipbuilding and ship repairs. The Chairman and most of the members of the industrial committees have been drawn from the industries concerned, although a small number of government officers also serve on them, with a Labour Department representative as both member and secretary of each committee. ”

“ Many male industrial workers do not have a rest day, but it is customary to grant unpaid leave on request.
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 organization of the department provides for four divisions: Labour Relations and Development; Industry; Employment; Industrial Health. ”

“ The range of daily wages for the manufacturing industry at the end of 1967 was: $10 to $30.1 for skilled workers; $6 to $22.1 for semi-skilled; and $5.2 to $14.6 for unskilled. Many employers provide their workers with free accommodation, subsidized meals or food-allowances, good attendance bonuses and paid rest-days as well as a Chinese New Year bonus of one month's pay. ”

“ The Labour Department continued to assist local trade unionists in obtaining training overseas. One trade unionist attended a Labour Union Leadership course in Canada under the joint sponsorship of the Canadian External Aid Office and the Canadian Labour Congress. ”

“ Biological monitoring aims at protecting the health of specific groups of workers who, because of the nature of their jobs, are particularly vulnerable. The monitoring take the form of periodical medical examinations and may include chest X-rays and laboratory investigations. ”

“ By December 1, 1967, 209 cotton spinning and silk weaving mills had introduced a system of three eight-hour daily shifts, cotton weaving mills were on either two or three shifts, and it was estimated that 34,421 men and 36,527 women were working eight hours a day. A rest period of one hour a day is customary throughout industry, but when working hours exceed eight a day, the period may be prolonged to as much as three hours. ”

“ The restrictions on the hours of work for women which were introduced in January 1959, and which have recently been amended to allow for the phased introduction of a 48 hour week, resulted in a decrease in a number of hours worked by men in the same concern. ”

“ There are no legal restrictions on hours of work for men. Most men employed in industry work 10 hours a day or less. Government employees and those in concerns operating on western lines work eight hours. ”

“ No minimum qualifications are required and apprentices are usually engaged after introduction by relatives or acquaintances. Theoretical instruction is seldom provided and little encouragement is given to apprentices to attend part-time classes in related technical subjects. ”

“ The number of workers recruited for Malaysia and Brunei increased during the year, and these countries, which mainly require domestic servants, fishermen and skilled and semi-skilled workers in the building trade, continued to be the main receiving areas. ”

“ There are also six government secondary technical schools, two non-government institutions providing technical education for boys at secondary level and three secondary modern schools which provide three years of secondary education with a practical bias. ”

“ It has many modern textile factories, and others producing metalware, enamelware, glassware and plastics. There is also a government-owned flatted factory provided to meet the special requirements of small scale silk weavers. ”