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The following is issued on behalf of the Standard Working Hours Committee:
The Standard Working Hours Committee (SWHC) held its 21st meeting today (March 29).
The Chairperson of SWHC, Dr Leong Che-hung, said after the meeting, "At the meeting held earlier today, SWHC endorsed the consultation document and arrangements for the second-stage consultation. The secretariat will quickly firm up the preparatory work with a view to launching the second-stage consultation and holding the first consultation session before the end of April this year. The consultation is expected to last for a period of three months."
Dr Leong said, "Unlike the first-stage consultation of a general nature held in 2014, the consultation this time will collect views of the public on working hours policy directions under exploration in a comprehensive and targeted manner. SWHC plans to consult the public on four working hours policy directions, namely: (i) only implementing the 'big frame' (i.e. a legislative approach to mandatorily require employers and employees to enter into written employment contracts, which shall include the specified working hours terms such as overtime compensation arrangement); (ii) only implementing the 'small frame' (i.e. to implement other measures, such as setting a working hours standard and overtime compensation rate, to further protect the grassroots employees with lower income, lower skills and less bargaining power); (iii) on the premise of implementing the 'big frame', to implement the 'small frame' as well; and (iv) not to implement the 'big frame' nor 'small frame' but recommend implementing other policies/ measures pertaining to working hours (e.g. formulating voluntary guidelines according to the needs of individual sectors). I believe the above four directions should address the aspirations and concerns of stakeholders (including employees, employers, labour unions, trade associations and the public)."
"During the consultation period, SWHC will organise consultation activities at different scales/levels, including meeting with major employers' associations and labour organisations, and organising consultation forums for the relatively long-working-hours sectors as well as the general public, to widely collect the views of the community for SWHC's reference in drafting the report to the Government afterwards. Written submissions are also welcomed by SWHC."
"In contemplating a working hours policy, SWHC needs to carefully consider various factors including employees' overtime work situation as well as the possible impacts of different scenarios on employees, employers, enterprises (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises), trades, the overall economy and the labour market, with a view to building community consensus and formulating appropriate and feasible working hours policy directions."
Dr Leong also said, "Some organisations today blocked the passageway to the meeting venue of SWHC and forcibly demanded SWHC to meet with them under the premise that their working hours policy proposal would be acceded to. I respect the views of different sectors, but the acts of these organisations were unfair to SWHC as well as other members of the public and would not be conducive to fruitful discussions. I hope all organisations and individuals would actively participate during the ensuing second-stage consultation of SWHC and express their views in a peaceful and rational manner."
"I am disappointed that the six employee members of the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) did not attend the meeting today. I also learnt from the media that they plan to engage the labour sector on a separate occasion. I appeal once again to these six LAB employee members to participate in the second-stage consultation as well as the ensuing discussion of SWHC. I also welcome and hope that all members of the labour sector will likewise actively participate in SWHC's consultation activities during the second-stage consultation or send in their written submissions so that SWHC can take into account all stakeholders' views when drafting its report and formulating the working hours policy directions."
Chaired by Dr Leong Che-hung, SWHC comprises members drawn from the labour and business sectors, academia, the community and the Government. For details, please refer to the SWHC website (www.swhc.org.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Issued at HKT 21:40
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