Chapter 7 International Labour Affairs

International Labour Conventions set by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) prescribe relevant labour standards for its Members. As at the end of 2018, 31 International Labour Conventions were applied to Hong Kong, with or without modification (Figure 7.1), notwithstanding that Hong Kong is neither a sovereign entity nor an ILO Member. Other international instruments, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, also touch on labour standards, albeit to a much smaller extent.

Comprehensive legislative and administrative measures are in place in Hong Kong to enable the Government to implement internationally accepted labour standards. Through continuous improvements to labour legislation and administrative measures, Hong Kong maintains labour standards that are comparable with those of neighbouring places with similar economic development as well as social and cultural background.

Hong Kong participates in the activities of the ILO, either as part of the delegation of the People’s Republic of China or, for activities which are not limited to states, on its own using the name “Hong Kong, China”.

In 2018, the Labour Department (LD) continued to participate actively in activities organised by the ILO to keep abreast of the latest development of international labour matters. In the year, representatives from Hong Kong participated as members of the delegation of the People’s Republic of China in the 107th Session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland.

In the year, the LD received delegations of labour administrators from other places and sent representatives to participate in labour-related activities in other places so as to exchange views and experience with its counterparts on various labour issues. (Figure 7.2)