Flexibility needed when storms strike
- The struggle to get to work after Typhoon Mangkhut struck showed the city should have been better prepared, and moves are afoot to ease the predicament of employees
Hong Kong has weathered many storms over the years, but the onslaught of Typhoon Mangkhut in September exposed inadequacies in our preparations for natural disasters. A case in point was the chaos over the rush to get back to work after the monster cyclone halted most public transport. Eight months after the mayhem, a government review suggested workers may be advised to stay home for another two hours if storms caused widespread power outages, extensive flooding, major landslides and stopped public transport. Whether such a grace period can address all extreme circumstances remains to be seen. Ultimately, it comes down to flexibility and common sense.
There are guidelines on work arrangements during and after typhoons. For instance, employers should spell out in advance that workers must resume duty within a specified number of hours after a typhoon signal No 8 or black rainstorm warning have been cancelled. Employers should also consider prevailing conditions, such as the availability of transport services and road conditions. In any case, they should not deduct the wages of staff who fail to resume work on time owing to genuine difficulties or factors beyond their control.
It would seem clear the transport havoc in September was covered by the guidelines. With overground rail and bus services badly hit by power outages and collapsed trees, workers could not be faulted for failing to report for duty on time. But the fact that they were still frantically trying to get to work underlines their fears that there would be consequences if they did not show up within a reasonable period of time.
At least two lawmakers are seeking to introduce their own bills that would enable the city leader to suspend work after a natural disaster. The government has understandably resisted taking the legislative route, saying it is impracticable in light of the diversity of jobs and the need for some essential services to maintain operations.
The city usually gets back to normal in a fairly orderly fashion. This owes much to our unwritten agreement that services will resume as soon as possible. What we really need is perhaps not an extra hour or two, but flexibility and common sense.
