Indian men working for a public services company in the United Arab Emirates, pose for a picture with their protective gear, masks and gloves, during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, in Dubai on April 2, 2020. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)
Starting next year, the Statutory Holiday or official holiday which is the right of migrant domestic workers (PRT) holidays will increase from the previous 12 days in a year to 13 days in a year. The additional one day off falls on Buddha’s birthday, Wednesday (13/1/2021).
It was previously reported that the government had proposed increasing the number of official holidays in Hong Kong from 12 to 17 days within 8 years, by adding one official holiday every two years.
Reported by The Standard, the government’s efforts are an effort to realize a plan to harmonize the number of statutory holidays with public holidays before 2030.
According to government estimates, for each additional official holiday, companies and employers may face a potential additional cost of HK$630 million, but the move will benefit around 1.2 million – up to 40 percent of Hong Kong’s workforce.
According to reports, authorities plan to make Buddha’s Birthday the first to be added as an additional official holiday.
With the addition of 1 new holiday in the month of May, it will provide enough time for employers, including those who employ Migrant Domestic Workers to properly prepare for adjustment.
Authorities also said there was not much disagreement among representatives of the Labor Advisory Council over the new measure, which they will present in the form of a bill to the current Hong Kong government.
For now, the total number of official holidays is 12 days, while the total number of public holidays is 17 days. This means that there is still a difference of five days between public holidays and official holidays. According to the plan, after Buddha’s birthday, Good Friday, the day after Good Friday, Easter Monday, and the first working day after Christmas Day will also be added to official holidays.
