Standard working hours could derail Hong Kong's economy, warns government adviser
A law to establish standard working hours could derail Hong Kong's economy, leaving it in the same mess as Greece and Spain, a government labour adviser warned yesterday.
"Nowadays, many Western governments want to change their systems. Just trying to raise the standard working hours from 35 to 37 hours has caused riots and unrest in some countries. So we are very worried that if we legislate on standard working hours, Hong Kong could be heading towards Western models like Greece and Spain."
Lau is the Labour Advisory Board's employer representative.
He said standard working hours could increase business costs and that other alternatives should be explored before drafting a law. He was responding to a government report, released last week, which says employers would need to pay up to HK$55.2 billion more a year in wages if standard working hours were introduced in Hong Kong.
On the same programme, Professor Randy Chiu Ki-kwan from the Department of Management at Baptist University echoed the view that legislation on standard working hours could jeopardise Hong Kong's business competitiveness.