WELFARE groups fear the poor face an even gloomier fate post-1997, after a senior Chinese official said 'soaring' welfare spending should be checked.
Welfare leaders and union bosses yesterday called for an urgent meeting with China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office to explain Hong Kong's needs.
Three key social work groups - the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Hong Kong Social Workers' General Union and Hong Kong Social Workers' Association - led the outcry against possible cuts.
Association president Agnes Yeung Law Koon-chui said the three groups were seeking talks with mainland authorities.
'We want to provide them with our point of view based on our practical experience because we are the frontline,' Ms Yeung said.
'We don't see that the Government has been over-generous. Social welfare development has been left behind in the past 10 to 20 years. The reason we have had a sudden increase in expenditure is because we are catching up.
