Latest news with #LamChunSing
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong employment bill ‘not foolproof', may still allow worker exploitation: lawmakers
A recent law amendment intended to protect part-time workers may still allow employers to sidestep providing benefits to their staff and create a more challenging business environment for several sectors, such as minibuses, some legislators have said. The concerns were raised on Thursday, a day after the Legislative Council approved the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2025 in an 84-3 vote. The amended law, which will take effect on January 18, 2026, stipulates that an employee who works 68 hours over four weeks will be entitled to a full range of statutory benefits, including paid annual leave and sickness allowance. It aims to plug the loophole, which has long been criticised by labour unions and manipulated by unscrupulous employers, particularly in the retail, catering and security industries. But Lam Chun-sing of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, who voted for the bill, warned that it might not be foolproof, raising concerns that the calculation method, which looks at the current week plus the three preceding weeks, could still be exploited. 'When someone tries to find a loophole in the future, should the clause specify that it's not just calculated based on the preceding three weeks, but should also consider the following three weeks? This ensures there is no escape for long-term work,' Lam said on a radio programme.
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Irresponsible': Hong Kong congee chain slammed for asking government to pay workers
The referral of workers to labour authorities to claim unpaid wages is an 'irresponsible' move, a lawmaker and a rights activist have said, slamming the owners of a three-decade-old Hong Kong congee restaurant chain, which left more than 100 employees in limbo after its abrupt closure. Advertisement They also said ahead of a staff meeting scheduled for Friday afternoon that the government's safety net might be unable to cover the unpaid wages in full. Their warning was made as the government's Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund recorded deficits, with the one for next year estimated to go beyond HK$1.1 billion (US$141.5 million). The Eating Establishment Employees General Union said that Ocean Empire Food Shop failed to pay for employees' Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), even when the amounts were deducted from their pay between January and March, on top of up to HK$10 million of unpaid wages. 'Deliveroo had better arrangements when they announced their April 7 closure in early March, even though [the riders] were not employees,' legislator Lam Chun-sing, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, told a radio programme. Advertisement '[Deliveroo] kept paying them after the announcement and came to an agreement. That is what should be done. But now the shop seems to want to go bankrupt, thinking there is not much staff can do but head to the Labour Department for help,' he added.
