The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Ordinance (Cap.
623) ("Ordinance") came into effect on January 1, 2016
and applies to all contracts entered after this date, subject to
certain specified exceptions, such as bills of exchange, covenants
relating to land, and letters of credit. The Ordinance confers on a
person who is not a party to a contract (a third party) the right
to enforce a term of the contract if the contract expressly
provides that the third party may do so or the term purports to
confer a benefit on the third party. Unless the contract contains
an express provision to the contrary: (i) rescission or variation
of a contract that affects a third party's right will require
consent of the third party; and (ii) the third party may assign
such third party's rights, except for a personal right, to
another person.
Consistent with similar legislation in other common law
jurisdictions, contracting parties are allowed to opt out of the
Ordinance in whole or in part by including an express term to that
effect in the contract. A third party's right to enforce a term
of a contract of employment against an employee is expressly
excluded under the Ordinance, meaning that a third party may only
have a right to enforce a term of an employment contract against an
employer and not the employee. For example, a family member may
seek to enforce insurance or other benefits granted by an employer
for the benefit of such family member.
This exclusion from the Ordinance does not apply to other
employment-related contracts where a third party may have rights,
such as noncompetition agreements (if executed on a stand-alone
basis), settlement agreements, and secondment agreements. It also
does not apply to independent contractor agreements. Accordingly,
employers should consider whether they need to amend their standard
contracts to expressly exclude the Ordinance or structure such
contracts to take advantage of the Ordinance.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.