Some bosses taking advantage of older workers in Hong Kong by not providing paid sick leave, annual holidays, survey finds ahead of Labour Day
- Society for Community Organisation conducted in-depth interviews with 40 people aged 55 years or above over six months
- Some employers have been avoiding providing workers’ with statutory protection in various ways or simply ignoring them, group says
Eight in 10 older workers in Hong Kong do not receive paid sick leave, annual holidays or severance pay as guaranteed by law, a survey has found with the results released ahead of Labour Day.
According to the survey, 88 per cent of respondents said they did not get paid sick leave, 83 per cent were not provided with long service payments, and 80 per cent were not given annual leave and severance pay.
Lei Jih-sheng, a community organiser at SoCO, said the Employment Ordinance stipulated that a worker who had been employed continuously by the same employer for four weeks or more, with at least 18 hours worked each week, was regarded as being employed under a continuous contract.
They are also entitled to rights such as rest days, annual leave with pay and sickness allowance.
But he said some employers had been avoiding providing statutory protection in various ways or simply ignored the rules while taking advantage of the underprivileged status of elderly staff.
“When employers use tricks to recruit them, they dare not voice out fearing they may lose the job,” Lei said.
Many chose not to resolve disputes, citing fear of retaliation, or they were just ignorant about their rights, he said, according to interviews with the elderly.
