香港労働法 Hong Kong Labor Issues #53 日本人のための香港労働問題研究：雇用条例 (Employment Ordinance):日本語版 第3部(2)

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香港労働法制研究

香港雇用条例　日本語注釈版

解説：各種のイデオローグ達は言及しないが、憲法は、国民を守るために政府の行為を制約し、労働法は労働者を守るために資本家の行為を制約するという側面を有する。後者は、主として資本家間の不当競争を抑制する観点での産物であるし、その社会の生産関係を法律的に上部構造から表現している。そして、労使関係は、経済関係、生産関係という資本主義社会の経済的土台をなす最も重要な社会関係である。従って、労働問題とは最も社会の根幹と全体に関わる社会問題である。

香港の資本主義社会の労働法制の中で、核心的な労働法規である雇用条例自体は、労働者個人が違法行為を摘発する場合は、民事（civil affairs）訴訟になり、労工処が検挙する場合は、刑事(a criminal action)訴訟になる。しかし、労工処が刑事訴訟を起こすのは自らが宣言したようにほとんどないのである。しかも、賃金に関する少額補償の違法行為に意図的に限定して検挙している。これでは、違法行為は後をたたない。

2019年10月以降開始した雇用条例違反の罪状確定記録公表が、労工処の検挙の有様と傾向を示している。拖欠工資或裁斷款項的定罪紀錄（賃金未払い或いは支払命令に関する罪状確定記録）というのがそれだ。大部分が、個人か中小零細企業の資本家を相手にした数千香港ドルの少額訴訟である。大企業は、皆無である。これが、ヘリテッジ財団の言う厳格な施行の内実である（形式主義）。

雇用条例違反の民事と刑事訴訟では、窓口が異なる。労働者は、まずどの窓口を探すかが問題解決の最初の一歩になる。

労働者個人での摘発は、勤務地を管轄する勞資關係科(労使関係科)でまず、調停での解決を試みる。労働者は、ここで、日頃から接している人事部（法務部に入れ知恵をされ、回答を用意している）と対する事になるのを念頭において準備しておくべきである。

また人事部は、本質的に資本家代表であり、それ自体被雇用者でありながら社会制度的には、機械的に被雇用者のお友達ではない。

労工処による刑事訴訟では、雇傭申索調查科會（雇用申告調査科会）が労働者の証言を取り、勞工處檢控科（労工処検察科）が訴訟を検討する。

日本では、労基法違反がそのまま刑事訴訟に段階を経るのとは対照的である。雇用条例と労基法の差異がここに明確にある。雇用条例違反は、大部分が労働者個人による民事訴訟で、後は労工処による選択的で、限定的な刑事訴訟になるのが自明の理である。

READ MORE:

拖欠工資或裁斷款項的定罪紀錄

雇主違法可被重罰 挺身作證僱員有責 與《雇傭條例》有關的市民事及刑事訴訟簡介

第３部は、産前産後休業と育児休業に関わる。日本では、産前産後休業は労働基準法で定められているが、出産日前までの就業を認め、出産後の8週間の無給休業を規定しているだけで、企業裁量と民事の範囲が広く、解雇制限も産休期間後30日後には無効になる。また別途、健康保険法で出産手当金がある。育児休業に関しては、育児休業、介護休業等育児又は家族介護を行う労働者の福祉に関する法律は、形式上の解雇制限があり、養子や女性・男性による育児という柔軟性があるが、パパ休暇8週間、子が1歳に達するまでの間の無給休暇であり、別途雇用保険法の育児休業給付金を申請する必要がある。基本的に、雇用主側にこの間の賃金を支払う義務がないのが日本である。香港は、この点全体的により優れている。

【原文】

15.

Prohibition against termination of employment

(1)

Subject to subsections (1A) and (1B)—

(a)

after a pregnant employee has served notice of pregnancy on her employer, the employer shall not terminate her continuous contract of employment otherwise than in accordance with section 9 during the period from the date on which her pregnancy is confirmed by a medical certificate to the date on which she is due to return to work on the expiry of her maternity leave or the date of cessation of pregnancy (otherwise than by reason of confinement);

(b)

if a pregnant employee has served such notice on her employer immediately after being informed of the termination of her contract of employment where the termination was made otherwise than in accordance with section 9 by her employer, the employer shall immediately withdraw the termination or notice of termination in which event the termination or notice of termination shall be treated as if it had not taken place.

(Replaced 7 of 2001 s. 5)

(1A)

Where in a contract of employment of a pregnant employee, whether in writing or oral, it has been expressly agreed that the employment is on probation, subsection (1) shall not prevent the termination by an employer of such contract for reasons other than pregnancy during the period of probation if the period does not exceed 12 weeks, or during the first 12 weeks of probation if the period of probation exceeds 12 weeks.

(Replaced 73 of 1997 s. 7)

(1B)

An employer who terminates the continuous contract of employment of a pregnant employee shall be taken for the purposes of subsection (1)(a) or (b) to terminate the contract otherwise than in accordance with section 9—

(a)

unless the contrary is proved; or

(b)

subject to subsection (1C), unless the employer proves that—

(i)

he purported to terminate the contract in accordance with that section; and

(ii)

at the time of such termination, he reasonably believed that he had a ground to do so.

(Added 7 of 2001 s. 5)

(1C)

Subsection (1B)(b) shall not apply in the case of civil proceedings.

(Added 7 of 2001 s. 5)

(1D)

For the purposes of subsections (2)(b), (2A) and (2B),

wages(工資) includes any sum paid by an employer in respect of—

(a)

a day of maternity leave, a rest day, a sickness day, a holiday or a day of annual leave taken by the employee;

(b)

a day of leave taken by the employee with the agreement of her employer;

(c)

a normal working day on which the employee is not provided with work;

(d)

a day of absence from work of the employee due to temporary incapacity for which compensation is payable under section 10 of the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282).

(Added 7 of 2007 s. 7)

(2)

An employer who contravenes subsection (1)(a) or (b) shall be liable to pay to the female employee—

(Amended 7 of 2001 s. 5)

(a)

the sum which would have been payable if the contract had been terminated by the employer under section 7provided that she has not received any such payment under that section;

(Amended 73 of 1997 s. 7)

(b)

a further sum equivalent to the monthly average of the wages earned by the employee during—

(i)

the period of 12 months immediately before the date of termination of the contract of employment; or

(ii)

if the employee has been employed by the employer for a period shorter than 12 months immediately before the date of termination of the contract, the shorter period; and

(Replaced 7 of 2007 s. 7)

(c)

where the employee is or would have been entitled to maternity leave pay, maternity leave pay for 14 weeks.

(Added 22 of 1981 s. 5. Amended 13 of 2020 s. 7)

(2A)

In calculating the monthly average of the wages earned by a female employee during the period of 12 months or the shorter period—

(a)

any period therein for which the employee was not paid her wages or full wages by reason of—

(i)

any maternity leave, rest day, sickness day, holiday or annual leave taken by the employee;

(ii)

any leave taken by the employee with the agreement of her employer;

(iii)

her not being provided by her employer with work on any normal working day; or

(iv)

her absence from work due to temporary incapacity for which compensation is payable under section 10 of the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282); and

(b)

any wages paid to her for the period referred to in paragraph (a),

are to be disregarded.

(Added 7 of 2007 s. 7)

(2B)

For the avoidance of doubt, if the amount of the wages paid to a female employee in respect of a day specified in subsection (1D) is only a fraction of the amount earned by the employee on a normal working day, the wages and the day are to be disregarded in accordance with subsection (2A).

(Added 7 of 2007 s. 7)

(2C)

Despite subsection (2)(b), if for any reason it is impracticable to calculate the monthly average of the wages earned by a female employee in the manner provided in that subsection, the amount may be calculated by reference to the wages earned by a person who was employed at the same work by the same employer during the period of 12 months immediately before the date of termination of the employee’s contract of employment, or, if there is no such person, by a person who was employed in the same trade or occupation and at the same work in the same district during the period of 12 months immediately before the date of termination of the employee’s contract of employment.

(Added 7 of 2007 s. 7)

(3)

(Repealed 7 of 2007 s. 7)

(4)

Any employer who contravenes subsection (1)(a) or (b) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine at level 6.

(Replaced 7 of 2001 s. 5)

【原文】

15.

對終止僱傭的禁止

(1)

除第(1A)款另有規定外，且在第(1B)款的規限下 ——

(a)

如懷孕僱員已向其僱主送達懷孕通知，則在由該僱員藉醫生證明書證實為懷孕之日起至產假結束而應復工之日為止的一段期間(或至非因分娩而終止懷孕之日為止的一段期間)內，該僱主不得終止該僱員的連續性僱傭合約，但按照第9條終止該合約則不在此限；

(b)

在僱主並非按照第9條終止其懷孕僱員的僱傭合約的情況下，如該僱員在獲悉該合約被終止後立即向該僱主送達懷孕通知，則該僱主在接獲該通知後須立即撤銷該項終止或撤回終止該合約的通知，而在此情況下，該項終止或終止該合約的通知須視為猶如從未作出一樣。

(由2001年第7號第5條代替)

(1A)

凡在懷孕僱員的書面或口頭僱傭合約內明示議定該項僱傭屬試用性質，則試用期如不超過12個星期，第(1)款不得阻止僱主因懷孕以外的理由而在該試用期內終止該合約；試用期如超過12個星期，則第(1)款不得阻止僱主因懷孕以外的理由而在該試用期的首12個星期內終止該合約。

(由1997年第73號第7條代替)

(1B)

凡僱主終止懷孕僱員的連續性僱傭合約，則 ——