<轉載自2018年5月31日 明報 社評>
勞工顧問委員會決定擱置合約工時方案,政府計劃2020年前為11個行業推出工時指引,約於2023年檢討成效,再探討工時政策方向。2013年,上屆政府成立標準工時委員會,研究標準工時立法,擾攘5年,當局在規管僱員超時工作方面回到原點,觀乎5年後才檢討行業工時指引,現屆政府顯然無意在僱員工時議題上有重大舉措。上屆政府把標準工時立法的燙手山芋交給現屆政府,現屆政府或又將之「交波」予下屆政府,拖拉態度難以接受。勞資雙方就工時縮窄分歧從來不是易事,政府責無旁貸,必須拿出政治決心處理。
經濟強勁社會停滯 躁動不安警號響起
根據統計處資料,2016年全港343萬僱員工時中位數為44小時,近半每周工作40至49小時,每周工作60小時以上的打工仔有38萬人,佔整體11.1%。低收入僱員「有開工無收工」、「有超時無補水」比比皆是。目前全球逾80個國家有法例規管工時,日本、韓國、內地、美國及加拿大每周標準工時為40小時,香港就規管僱員工時遠遠落後於其他經濟體。
政府提倡的取消強積金對冲方案,法例生效後12年內,以遞減形式補助企業,涉及金額高達172億元,惟商界仍然抗拒,有商界人士甚至要求政府永遠「包底」。商界眼中,標準工時立法對營商環境的影響,更甚於最低工資和取消強積金對冲,當然盯得更緊。
去年6月,政府接納標準工時委員會建議,僱主聘用月入不逾1.1萬元基層僱員時,雙方要簽訂書面僱傭合約,列明工時及超時補水安排,是否就標準工時立法,則留待兩年後再「研究」。資方反對以立法形式訂立標準工時,勞方質疑政府偏幫僱主,杯葛會議,最終方案明顯向商界傾斜,勞工界因此強烈反對合約工時。政府以勞方取態及社會未有共識為由,決定擱置推行合約工時,並計劃訂立11行業工時指引。
政府的如意算盤是通過發布行業工時資訊,令訂立過長工時的僱主面對市場壓力,惟行業工時指引無法律效力,有如「無牙老虎」,只能訴諸僱主的善意。勞工及福利局長羅致光坦言指引「無牙」,卻也並非無作用,只是未到立法水平,云云。行業工時指引與打工仔期望存在頗大落差,難怪勞工界批評政府逃避責任,迴避標準工時立法。
本港去年經濟增長3.8%,今年第一季經濟增長4.7%,以成熟經濟體而言相對較高。目前香港人均GDP逾46,000美元,可是僱員權益保障,遠低於其他發達國家,香港打工仔分享到的經濟成果,與付出的血汗不成正比,近年社會躁動不安,也就不難理解。根據社聯2016年整體社會發展指數,較2014年倒退1點,是該指數18年來首度在經濟發展強勁下錄得社會發展停滯,社聯認為是警號。
瑞士洛桑國際管理發展學院《2018年世界競爭力年報》,評估全球63個經濟體,香港由過去兩年排首名,今年跌至第二,被美國超前。細閱報告內容,會發覺香港失落桂冠以外更值得注視的深層次問題。香港在「政府管治效率」及「營商效率」連續4年排名居首,當中多個細項指標,如「公共財政」、「財政」等名列前茅,但在「社會結構」僅排名第23,「堅尼系數」位居全球第51,「社會凝聚力」指標則排第38。今年3月公布的聯合國《全球幸福指數報告》涉及117個國家或地區,香港排名第76,較去年下跌5名,排名較諸巴基斯坦、菲律賓還要低。可見香港GDP等經濟數據強勢,不見得市民就會幸福。
政府作為公共利益捍衛者,有責任帶頭縮窄勞資差距,推進工時立法。其他地方立法規管工時,相信也要克服不少困難,為何它們做得到,香港卻做不到,政府須反思。最低工資立法或許值得現屆政府借鑑。2006年10月,時任特首曾蔭權在施政報告宣布在保安及清潔行業推行「工資保障運動」,翌年宣布一年後檢討成效。2008年10月,曾蔭權在施政報告宣布完成檢討,認為運動「成效不彰」,決定推行涵蓋全港僱員的法定最低工資,3年後最低工資正式生效。如果當時政府虛與委蛇,再搞個3個月或半年諮詢「凝聚共識」,最低工資立法進程將再拖延。最低工資落實後,失業率不升反跌,說明商界中人危言聳聽。
政府捍衛公共利益 須顯示領導者素質
特首林鄭月娥參選政綱未有提出就標準工時立法,當時她解釋是經過數年討論未能獲得共識,並關注本港勞動力持續下降,人力供應需要有靈活性,云云。領導者的重要素質是將危機轉化為機遇,勞動力下降正好扭轉勞動力市場商界佔上風的現狀,為立法規管工時創造有利條件。
Working hours regulation: things have come full circle
THE LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD has decided to shelve the contractual working
hours proposal. In its stead, the government is planning to issue guidelines on
working hours for 11 industries before 2020 and review their effectiveness
around 2023, after which the government will study its working hours policy
direction. In 2013, the then government set up the Standard Working Hours
Committee to study the possibility of introducing legislation on standard
working hours. After all the hubbub over the last five years, the authorities
are now back where they were in this matter. Given the fact that the guidelines
on working hours for the 11 industries will only be reviewed 5 years later, it
is obvious that the current government does not intend to make any major move concerning
employees' working hours. It is never easy to narrow the differences between
workers and management on working hours, but the government, being duty-bound,
must have the political will to tackle the issue.
According to the Census and Statistics Department, in 2016, the median
number of working hours of 3.43 million Hong Kong employees was 44. Half of the
employees worked 40 to 49 hours a week, and 380,000 employees (11.1% of all
employees) worked more than 60 hours a week. Currently over 80 countries around
the world have laws to regulate working hours. In Japan, South Korea, mainland
China, USA and Canada, the standard working hours are 40 hours a week. Hong
Kong lags far behind other economies in terms of regulating employees' working
hours.
Last June, the government accepted a proposal put forward by the
Standard Working Hours Committee which required employers who employ grassroots
workers at a monthly wage of not exceeding $11,000 to sign a written employment
contract with the workers stating clearly the number of working hours and the
arrangements for overtime payment. The committee also suggested that the
government "study" two years later whether to legislate on standard
working hours. Employers oppose any form of legislation on standard working
hours while labour groups accuse the government of being biased in favour of
the employers. The government decided to shelve the plan on contractual working
hours on the grounds that it was opposed by labour groups and there was a lack
of consensus in society. Instead, it plans to issue guidelines on working hours
for 11 industries.
The government's wishful thinking is to subject employers for whom their
workers work long hours to market pressure by publicising working hours
information of specific industries. However, the working hours guidelines for
these industries are "toothless tigers" since they are not legally
binding, and it will depend on the employers' good will whether the guidelines
will be implemented.
Last year Hong Kong's economy grew by 3.8% and the GDP per capita was
over US$46,000. However, the protection of the rights of employees lags far
behind other developed regions. The fruit of economic growth shared by Hong
Kong's working class is not commensurate with the sweat that they shed. It is
therefore not hard to understand why society has been so restless in recent
years.
As the defender of the public interest, the government has a duty to
narrow management-labour gap and to promote legislation of working hours. We
believe that when other countries tried to enact laws to regulate working
hours, they had to overcome a lot of difficulties too. The government should
reflect on why other countries managed to do it while Hong Kong failed.
Legislation of standard working hours was not in the election platform
of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. She explained back then that
society had failed to reach a consensus after a few years of discussion. She
was also concerned that the workforce continued to shrink and thought that it
was necessary to ensure flexibility in labour supply, etc. An important quality
of a leader is to be able to turn crises into opportunities. The shrinkage of
the workforce has created favourable conditions for legislation to regulate
working hours since the conditions in which the business sector had the upper
hand in the labour market are now being reversed.
商界企硬政府無能 工時規管回到原點
勞工顧問委員會決定擱置合約工時方案,政府計劃2020年前為11個行業推出工時指引,約於2023年檢討成效,再探討工時政策方向。2013年,上屆政府成立標準工時委員會,研究標準工時立法,擾攘5年,當局在規管僱員超時工作方面回到原點,觀乎5年後才檢討行業工時指引,現屆政府顯然無意在僱員工時議題上有重大舉措。勞資雙方就工時縮窄分歧從來不是易事,政府責無旁貸,必須拿出政治決心處理。
根據統計處資料,2016年全港343萬僱員工時中位數為44小時,近半每周工作40至49小時,每周工作60小時以上的打工仔有38萬人,佔整體11.1%。目前全球逾80個國家有法例規管工時,日本、韓國、內地、美國及加拿大每周標準工時為40小時,香港就規管僱員工時遠遠落後於其他經濟體。
去年6月,政府接納標準工時委員會建議,僱主聘用月入不逾1.1萬元基層僱員時,雙方要簽訂書面僱傭合約,列明工時及超時補水安排,是否就標準工時立法,則留待兩年後再「研究」。資方反對以立法形式訂立標準工時,勞方質疑政府偏幫僱主。政府以勞方取態及社會未有共識為由,決定擱置推行合約工時,並計劃訂立11行業工時指引。
政府的如意算盤是通過發布行業工時資訊,令訂立過長工時的僱主面對市場壓力,惟行業工時指引無法律效力,有如「無牙老虎」,只能訴諸僱主的善意。
本港去年經濟增長3.8%,人均GDP逾46,000美元,可是僱員權益保障,遠低於其他發達國家,香港打工仔分享到的經濟成果,與付出的血汗不成正比,近年社會躁動不安,也就不難理解。
政府作為公共利益捍衛者,有責任帶頭縮窄勞資差距,推進工時立法。其他地方立法規管工時,相信也要克服不少困難,為何它們做得到,香港卻做不到,政府須反思。
特首林鄭月娥參選政綱未有提出就標準工時立法,當時她解釋是經過數年討論未能獲得共識,並關注本港勞動力持續下降,人力供應需要有靈活性,云云。領導者的重要素質是將危機轉化為機遇,勞動力下降正好扭轉勞動力市場商界佔上風的現狀,為立法規管工時創造有利條件。