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The following is issued on behalf of the Standard Working Hours Committee:
The Standard Working Hours Committee (SWHC) held its 10th meeting today (January 23). The SWHC continued discussion on the results of the public engagement and consultation on working hours and the dedicated working hours survey conducted by the consulting companies, as well as the analysis of a range of factors for a working hours policy provided by the SWHC secretariat as reported to the two working groups (WGs) on Working Hours Consultation and Working Hours Study last December.
The Chairperson of the SWHC, Dr Leong Che-hung, said after the meeting, "During the period of public engagement and consultation on working hours from January 28 to July 31, 2014, the SWHC, with the assistance of the Consultation Consultant, organised and took part in 40 consultation activities of various forms, and received some 4 800 written submissions. The Consultation Consultant also conducted an opinion survey of working hours issues on randomly sampled members of employers' associations and trade unions. Completed at end-September 2014, the opinion survey received a total of 1 507 opinion collection forms.
"In addition the SWHC, through the Study Consultant, conducted between June and August 2014 a territory-wide household survey using a scientific sampling method to collect working hours data and opinions on working hours arrangement/working hours policy from employed persons. A total of 10 275 employed persons were successfully enumerated. The Study Consultant also collected 2 277 self-administered questionnaires between mid-July and September 2014 from randomly sampled members of organisations of 10 professions/occupations identified by the SWHC as having relatively long working hours or distinctive working hours patterns, with a view to understanding the working hours situation of employees of these professions/occupations and supplementing the findings of the household survey."
Dr Leong added, "Through the public consultation and dedicated working hours survey, the SWHC collected a wealth of useful information about the latest working hours situation of the workforce and extensive views of the community on working hours policy issues. Having regard to the outcomes of the two WGs, members have at the meeting today agreed to set up a task force to discuss the further work of SWHC."
Dr Leong welcomed the two newly appointed members of the Labour Advisory Board (LAB), namely employee representative Ms Wong Siu-han and employer representative Mr Cheung Sing-hung, who have been appointed to the SWHC by virtue of their LAB membership. Dr Leong also paid warm tribute to the three outgoing members for their contribution to SWHC, including employee representatives Mr Lee Tak-ming and the late Mr Chung Kwok-sing (who passed away owing to illness); and employer representative Mr Thomas Ho On-sing.
Chaired by Dr Leong Che-hung, the SWHC comprises employer and employee representatives of the LAB, academics, community leaders and government officials. For details, please refer to the SWHC website (www.swhc.org.hk).
Ends/Friday, January 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:48
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