Welfare hike needed right now: Union leader

Chief Executive-Elect Leung Chun-ying should hand out immediate increases in welfare benefits when he takes office in July, and not wait until he gives his first Policy Address in October, says the Honorary President of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Cheng Yiu-tong said immediate implementation of improvements in social welfare benefits will not only help the genuinely needy but will raise Leung's popularity during the early days of his tenure.

Cheng cited a couple of examples, such as increasing the Old Age Allowance and allowing applications on individual or family basis for the Work Incentive Transport Subsidy Scheme.

Cheng, who has been a non-official member of the Hong Kong Executive Council (ExCo) since 2002, declined to say whether he would remain in the new cabinet. If an offer comes, he will consult the FTU as to whether he should stay or be replaced by another union member. Cheng added he hoped that ExCo will have enough voices speaking for the working and lower classes.

Wang Guangya (center right), director of the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office, talks to Cheng Yiu-tong at a meeting in Beijing. Wang said that to resolve the mainland mother problem, legal means must be adopted. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"It is easy to implement my suggestions because they are not controversial, and legislation is not required. Involving only public funds, they can be done very quickly if the government really wants to," he explained. "To the contrary, employers oppose standard working hours, paid maternity leave for men and the extension of labur holidays to 17 days per year because they involve additional expenditure. And for those, legislation is necessary.

"For the transport subsidy allowance, we propose a ‘dual track' system that would allow both individuals and families to apply. At the present time, only families can apply. The government expected over 200,000 families would apply but no more than 30,000 families applied, showing there is something wrong with the procedure."

The unions are pursuing standard working hours now that there is a minimum wage law.

"We hope Mr Leung will honor his pledge by setting up a commission to study standard working hours as soon as he assumes office. We expect completion of the legislative process within his five-year term," Cheng said.

The unions are very clear that overtime work outside standard working hours should be paid.

"There is no clear definition of normal working hours in the Employment Ordinance," he noted. "Such a definition is necessary because each sector has its own operating hours, and it is also debatable whether overtime work should be rewarded at the same rate of pay, or 1.5 times or 2 times the normal wage rate. To avoid disputes, the definition of standard working hours (say, eight hours daily) and the overtime pay rate must be written in law."

During the CE election in March, all 60 Election Committee votes from FTU members went to Leung Chun-ying.

At the early stage, the unions had high expectations of both candidates, Leung and Henry Tang, that they would safeguard the rights of the working class. Neither, however, included standard working hours in their initial policy platforms.

"Thus we openly said both persons were unacceptable, prompting them to approach us again with a new section on welfare for workers and grassroots in their policy manifesto," Cheng said. "Overall, Mr Tang's labor policy was more comprehensive, but the victory or loss did not hinge on their labor policy. We could not accept Mr Tang because he put public interest above confidentiality of the Executive Council (by leaking ExCo discussions at a televised election debate)."

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