The Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) claimed in a statement on Friday that the recent proposal to amend the Labor Law will not affect employees’ rights to mandatory holidays.
Earlier last week, lawmakers Ella Lei, Leong Sun Iok and Lei Chan I organized a promotional campaign in the Fai Chi Kei area to draw the community’s attention to the newly proposed amendment.
Under the amendment, three of the city’s compulsory public holidays will be converted to normal public holidays.
According to Lei, the amendment requires employees to work on these public holidays and take days off in lieu.
The lawmakers accused the amendment of reducing employees’ days off and infringing on workers’ rights.
In its statement, the DSAL reiterated that “the relevant selective mandatory holiday mechanism is designed to allow employees from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds to communicate with and negotiate with their employers to select a part of the compulsory holidays and convert them into normal public holidays. Concurrently, it can also facilitate the operation of enterprises and the deployment of human resources. It does not reduce the employees’ rights to enjoy mandatory holidays.”
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