Standard work hours 'won't cost more' in the long run
Employees will be motivated to complete their work quickly if the city sets law to limit working hours, UN labour agency representative says
Legislating standard working hours will not result in a rise in business costs in the long run as companies will look for ways to rearrange work flow in a more efficient manner, an expert with a United Nations labour agency has said.
The remarks by the International Labour Organisation's senior research officer Jon Messenger came as the Hong Kong government planned to set up a task force to look into the issue this month following a pledge Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying made in his policy address in January.
But the government has so far made no commitment to whether such a labour law would actually be introduced.
"In general, companies will respond by reducing the working hours. And when working hours are reduced, there will be an impact on productivity," Messenger said, speaking from the organisation's Geneva headquarters.
"Normally, labour costs will be higher. But in the long run, workers will have stronger motivation to finish their work within the limited time."
The organisation is the only UN agency with government, employer and worker representatives, and has 185 member states including China and the United States. It is responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards.
Messenger said if standard working hours were introduced in Hong Kong, there will inevitably be an increase in costs in the short run.
