Hong Kong lawmakers reward staff with bonuses just weeks after start of Legco term
- Lawmaker Ambrose Lam says three employees who got bonuses two weeks after being hired did ‘hours of voluntary work’
- Three lawmakers did not violate Legco guidelines, but early bonuses ‘affect public perceptions’
Legislator Ambrose Lam San-keung, who represents the legal constituency, paid bonuses totalling HK$34,000 (US$4,331) to all three of his staffers on January 31, two weeks after they were hired.
Fellow lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, gave a fixed HK$5,000 Lunar New Year bonus to six of his eight staffers in January, while legislator Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, who represents the Heung Yee Kuk constituency, paid a total of HK$26,000 in discretionary bonuses to two of its nine employees on January 28.
But Lam defended his decision, telling the Legco’s accounts office in April that his three workers had helped him “voluntarily” before any formal employment relationship was established due to the short period between his election last December 18 and the start of the legislature’s new term on January 1.
He added the bonuses were to show appreciation for their “voluntary assistance” for Legco-related business, and had nothing to do with the election, even though he had “no employment relationship with them in early January 2022”.
“The bonus was to show appreciation for their voluntary help for all Legco-related matters, including setting up of the member’s office, and preparation of all kinds of paperwork,” he wrote.
Lam told the Post that the three had worked overtime on “numerous days” to help him get accustomed quickly to Legco work and serving the public effectively.
