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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said today (June 6) that 2009 is a bumper year for labour rights with a series of improvement measures and major legislation in the offing.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Hon Li Fung Yingˇ¦s first district office in Ho Man Tin, Mr Cheung said that ˇ§the Government has not slackened its efforts in safeguarding and promoting labour rights despite the economic downturn.ˇ¨
He said, "At the end of last month, the Labour Advisory Board endorsed a proposal to expand the scope of the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund to cover untaken annual leave pay subject to a limit of 14 days and a payment ceiling of $10,500. We will amend the law in the next legislative session.
"In addition, the Occupational Deafness (Compensation) (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to enhance the Occupational Deafness Compensation Scheme for the benefit of more affected employees, was introduced to the Legislative Council (LegCo) last Wednesday."
As for legislation to provide for the introduction of the statutory minimum wage and criminalisation of willful non-payment of Labour Tribunal awards to which the labour sector attaches great importance, Mr Cheung reiterated that the two bills would be introduced into the LegCo before its summer recess next month as scheduled.
Mr Cheung commended the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, of which the Hon Li Fung Ying is the vice-chairman, for playing an important role in labour movement in Hong Kong and protecting the rights of the grassroots since its establishment 25 years ago.
Ends/Saturday, June 6, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:31
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