State of emergency law following extreme weather events such as Typhoon Mangkhut not needed, say Hong Kong officials
- Deputy security minister Sonny Au tells Legco meeting government’s mechanism to prepare for and respond to super typhoons has been effective
- Lawmakers across political spectrum say such guidelines do not go far enough to protect employees from being forced to work
A law allowing Hong Kong’s leader to give workers a day off after extreme weather or natural disasters is not needed, officials said on Tuesday, despite calls for the government to better protect labour rights.
Deputy security minister Sonny Au Chi-kwong told a security panel meeting at the Legislative Council there was no need for such a law at present.
“The government’s mechanism [to prepare for and respond to] super typhoons has been effective, although there is room for improvement on work arrangements under extreme conditions. But there is no need for legislation,” Au said.
Officials last week proposed a two-hour grace period for about 3.8 million workers after a storm subsides instead of requiring them to return to work immediately, as part of a post-recovery review after Typhoon Mangkhut battered the city last September.
The new measures would apply only under extreme conditions, such as large-scale power outages, extensive flooding, major landslides and paralysed public transport services.
