More time sought to study laws on labour
The provisional legislature has called on the Government to extend the suspension period for some frozen labour laws by one month to the end of next month.
This would allow legislators time to study the laws before being asked to pass a package of legislation to be tabled by the Government on the ordinances.
The house committee agreed yesterday to write to the Government asking for more time to scrutinise the labour laws, frozen by the interim body until October 31.
The Government said last week it would propose new bills to repeal two laws on collective bargaining and anti-union discrimination and amend three others on labour rights.
The bills will be gazetted next Thursday and tabled to the council on October 15.
Members have decided to form a special working committee on the Government's proposals.
Unionist Chan Yuen-han said she was angry with the Government's move to 'kill' the labour law on collective bargaining without wide consultation.
'The Government has put us into a very difficult situation . . . we disagree with [this] law because it is too rough, but we also don't want to repeal it,' she said.
Ms Chan said she was seeking legal advice to see whether it was possible to amend the government bill.
'But it is very difficult because the bill is very rigid. It only gives us two choices: support the bill or reject it,' she said.
