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Hong Kong lawmaker who called mandatory paternity leave a mistake criticised by colleagues for attacking government plan
Executive Councillor Wong Kwok-kin said Tommy Cheung should put general interests of Hong Kong ahead of his own sector
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An adviser to Hong Kong’s leader who said mandatory paternity leave was a mistake has been criticised by his colleagues for openly opposing a government plan.
Executive Councillor Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, who represents the city’s catering sector, opposed a proposal to increase statutory paternity leave in the city from three to five days and said it should be left to an employer’s discretion.
But his fellow Exco member Wong Kwok-kin, from the Federation of Trade Unions, said Cheung should put the general interests of the city ahead of his own sector.
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“Exco has endorsed the proposal but [Cheung] has voiced opposition to it,” Wong said on Friday, adding it had generated a perception Cheung was politically unethical.
Wong also doubted the effect on the business sector of extending the current paternity leave, saying no one would have a child just to enjoy an extra two days off.
You think I enjoy being thought of as harsh and heartless … I am just representing my sector
Another Exco member, New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee agreed members should avoid publicly criticising the government.
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