Move to sell beer at work
FACTORY canteens will be allowed to sell beer under a proposal to issue new classifications for liquor licences.
The Regional Council will reveal today at its monthly meeting that its Liquor Licensing Board has requested the Finance Branch to amend an ordinance to provide them with the necessary authority to give licences to factory canteens.
It hopes the amendment will be passed by the Legislative Council by the end of the year before the council considers the issue of a separate light liquor licence and whether factory canteens will be allowed to apply for the licence.
Under current policy, there is only one category of liquor licence and factory canteens are not eligible because the council believes it is not conducive to industrial safety to allow workers to drink.
But some council members say the rule is unreasonable because it is common for factory workers to drink beer at lunchtime.
A council delegation to France and Germany last year found that governments there had various liquor licence classifications. Some cities had as many as five categories of licences, from light to heavy liquor.
''The ordinance is outdated and needs amendment. Most members of the Liquor Licensing Board believe so. But we have to solve many technical problems, such as amending the ordinance,'' a member said.
