Unionist legislator, Lee Cheuk-yan, on Friday called on a rival unionist, Cheng Yiu-tong, to resign from the Executive Council in a bid to force the chief executive to fulfill his electoral promises on labour issues.
CY Leung had pledged in his election manifesto in 2012 that he would introduce standard working hours and scrap the offset mechanism in the Mandatory Provident Fund scheme that allows employers to pay severance payments out of their contributions to the fund.
Lee, who is also the chairman of the Labour Party, claimed that the government was backing off over the idea of scrapping the offset mechanism because of opposition from the business sector. He said Cheng's resignation was needed to force Leung to act now, or else there will not be enough time to amend the relevant laws before the Legislative Council's current term ends next year.
Cheng is an honorary president of the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions. Another honorary president with the union, legislator Chan Yuen-han, refused to comment on whether Cheng should continue serving the Executive Council. But she stressed that she too was unhappy that Leung was refusing to deal with the offset mechanism issue.
CY Leung had pledged in his election manifesto in 2012 that he would introduce standard working hours and scrap the offset mechanism in the Mandatory Provident Fund scheme that allows employers to pay severance payments out of their contributions to the fund.
Lee, who is also the chairman of the Labour Party, claimed that the government was backing off over the idea of scrapping the offset mechanism because of opposition from the business sector. He said Cheng's resignation was needed to force Leung to act now, or else there will not be enough time to amend the relevant laws before the Legislative Council's current term ends next year.
Cheng is an honorary president of the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions. Another honorary president with the union, legislator Chan Yuen-han, refused to comment on whether Cheng should continue serving the Executive Council. But she stressed that she too was unhappy that Leung was refusing to deal with the offset mechanism issue.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1219096-20151023.htm
