Coronavirus: newspaper mogul calls on Lam to dip into public coffers to pay two months’ wages for all Hong Kong workers

Charles Ho points to countries like Britain, where wages have been subsidised to keep workers at home but employed

The Sing Tao News Corp chairman, a frequent critic of Lam’s, says double whammy of protests and Covid-19 have been severe blow to livelihoods

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With Hong Kong’s economy reeling amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a newspaper mogul has called on Chief Executive Carrie Lam to tap public coffers to pay two months’ wages for all. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 1:11pm, 8 Apr 2020Updated: 11:55pm, 8 Apr 2020

A Hong Kong newspaper mogul issued an open letter to the city’s beleaguered leader on Wednesday, urging her to use public funds to pay two months of wages across the private sector to keep workers employed.

In Charles Ho Tsu-kwok’s appeal, made in a full-page advertisement on the front-page of Sing Tao Daily, the Sing Tao News Corp chairman also urged Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to learn from other governments in formulating Covid-19 relief measures.

Ho’s letter came just hours before Lam announced that more than 1 million Hong Kong workers would have part of their wages paid for by the government under a HK$137.5 billion (US$17.7 billion) relief package aimed at helping businesses and residents struggling during the Covid-19 crisis.

Sing Tao News Corporation Chairman Charles Ho, a frequent critic of Carrie Lam, urged the chief executive to take her cues from such countries as Britain and Singapore. Photo: SCMP

Most of the massive package will go towards the wage plan, set to last for six months, which will target affected industries with payments capped at 50 per cent of employees’ salaries.

Speaking on Tuesday, Lam said many industry representatives had told her ensuring job security was critical and government help was needed to keep staff employed.