Labour Dept. to employers: Discuss alternative holidays for Chung Yeung holiday with employees

October 16, 2020

Filipino foreign domestic workers in Central. (FILE PHOTO)

The Labour Department sought for employers to discuss with their employees’ arrangements for alternative holidays in lieu of the upcoming Chung Yeung Festival on Oct. 26, in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In a press release Friday, the department said this flexible arrangement for employees to substitute the upcoming statutory holiday for another day will allow them to schedule grave-sweeping activities before or after the festival while avoiding overcrowding.

“Employers may give prior notice to employees in accordance with the Employment Ordinance (EO) to arrange for employees an alternative holiday within 60 days before or after the statutory holiday,” a spokesperson for the department said.

If both employer and employee agree, any day within 30 days of the statutory or the alternative holiday may be taken by the employee as a substituted holiday.

Under the Ordinance, an employer who without reasonable excuse fails to grant statutory holidays, alternative holidays or substituted holidays, or fails to pay holiday pay to an employee is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a fine of $50,000.