This undated photo shows construction workers dismantling and packing away bamboo scaffolding in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. (@STREET_PHOTOGRAPHY_PHILIP / FOR CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s labor chief said it is necessary to take into account the concerns of all stakeholders as the government moves to align statutory holidays with public holidays over the course of eight years.
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The government had earlier proposed to add one day to the 12-day statutory holiday schedule once every two years beginning 2022, making the number of such holidays equal to the number of gazetted public holidays by 2030. The move is expected to benefit mostly blue-collar workers.
However, no consensus has been reached between representatives of employers and employees at the Labour Advisory Board over whether the increase of holidays should be made over eight years or a shorter period of time, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong told reporters after a Legislative Council meeting on Tuesday.
“It is important to take into consideration the concerns of the employers, particularly those micro-enterprises and also individual families who employ foreign domestic helpers,” Law said.
It is important to take into consideration the concerns of the employers, particularly those micro-enterprises and also individual families who employ foreign domestic helpers.
Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Hong Kong govt
“The proposal that we have made is to complete this process of alignment within about eight years. Indeed, it is a slow process, but we would consider it would be much easier for the microenterprises and the employers as a whole to adjust to such changes. It would be more likely to be accepted by both the employers and employees.”
He stressed that it is ultimately the government’s responsibility to take the proposal to the legislature in the event a consensus is unlikely in the foreseeable future.
In a document submitted to the legislature last week, Hong Kong's Labour and Welfare Bureau expected about 1.2 million workers in the city to benefit from the proposal.
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Six labor representatives on the Labour Advisory Board expressed dissatisfaction last week with the government’s plan at the LegCo, saying the proposal was in favor of employers and damaged mutual trust between the government and the labor sector.
“We urge the government to hold a meeting as soon as possible, respect the labor sector and the new Labour Advisory Board, and resume consultation and discussion to reach a consensus,” they said in a statement last Wednesday.