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[New Crown Pneumonia] Citizens' Unpaid Leave and Unpaid Government Support Is Still "Researching"

2020-03-30T10:36:54.448Z


The outbreak of new coronavirus (COVID-19, commonly known as Wuhan pneumonia) has continued, and the economy has been greatly affected. The government has recently restricted the number of customers in restaurants, no more than four people at a table, etc., or further cracked down on catering business. however


01 perspective

Written by: Comment Editor

2020-03-30 18:30

Last updated: 2020-03-30 18:30

The outbreak of new coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued to affect the economy. The government has recently restricted the number of customers in restaurants, no more than four people at a table, etc., or further cracked down on catering business. However, the government's support is mainly for distributing anti-epidemic funds to employers and granting subsidies to unemployed citizens, but it has ignored the miserable situation of many wage earners being forced to take unpaid leave. How the government should help the people to bail out has become another problem beyond the control of the epidemic.

The unemployment rate in Hong Kong rose to 3.7%, of which the unemployment rate in the catering industry rose to 7.5%, a record high in nine years. Oxfam and other concerned organizations conducted a survey report on the employment situation of grass-roots citizens in the epidemic in the middle of this month. It was found that four interviewed wage earners said that the company was about to lay off workers. Refers to a company asking employees to resign on their own. Chief Executive Lin Zheng Yue'e obviously also knows the imminent issue of layoffs. When he announced the restrictions on restaurants last Friday, he stressed, "If they (employer) lay off staff during this period, I am afraid they will apply for these financial support in the future, such as the qualifications".

It is common for employees in the catering industry to take unpaid leave. (Photo by Yu Ruijing)

Government allowance ignores unpaid leave

However, the government seems to have overlooked that many wage earners are faced not with unemployment but with forced “unpaid leave”. They are not eligible to apply for government subsidies at this stage and become an awkward “sandwich layer”. If the government only considers unemployment, it will leave a considerable number of "unpaid leave" victims who are unemployed without any assistance. The working family allowance is aimed at intergenerational poverty and requires applicants to work for a certain amount of time, which cannot be used to help unpaid leave employees. The "Special Love Plus" allowance up to 5,800 yuan per month requires applicants to attend the course and then receive the allowance. Not only is the amount insufficient to help citizens who interrupt their income for weeks or even a month, they are required to respond to the epidemic and austerity. It is also impractical to take the risk of going out to take courses.

Citizens are facing financial difficulties, but according to the Financial Secretary ’s blog on March 29, the government ’s second round of the Epidemic Prevention Fund is still under study. According to some institutional news, the Director Chen Maobo is about to announce the fourth round of relief measures, including plans to increase the amount of transportation allowances, and is studying to lower the threshold from a total monthly expenditure of more than 400 yuan before applying for it to 200 yuan. All teachers and nurses who take long-distance buses to work can benefit, "and further increase the subsidy rate from one-third to one-half. However, the economic burden of reducing public transport allowances is very small. At present, many wage earners are facing unpaid leave or staying at home. Coupled with the epidemic, the demand for outings has plummeted, and public transport subsidies cannot really provide charity.

The Workers ’Union Social Welfare Institutions’ Staff Union yesterday received a request from the YMCA of Hong Kong for assistance, asking employees to take unpaid leave. (Photo by Hou Cailin)

The government, which claims in the Budget to spare no expense and try its best to help the citizens, does not know what to wait for. In contrast, while restricting economic activity, the British government immediately decided to pay 80% of the wages of employees who did not work, up to a maximum of 2,500 pounds per month per person. Rishi Sunak, who joined the Ministry of Finance last July and took over as Treasurer last month, and who is currently under 40, has so decisively bypassed companies to directly assist the people and can immediately relieve the economic pressure on employees. The Hong Kong government, which is still "under study", is ashamed. Its solution can help enterprises reduce costs, survive the epidemic period to avoid failure, protect the company's ecology from fundamental damage, and also maintain the basic livelihood of employees. Another example is Taiwan's outbreak business assistance. Companies that have joined the subsidy must promise that they will not lay off staff or reduce their salary. The Hong Kong government can emulate the above practices, either by directly subsidizing employees, which can both reduce or reduce the company's manpower expenditures and stabilize the livelihood of the wage earners, or regulate layoffs and pay reductions for companies receiving assistance, and require employees to take unpaid leave and other acts.

The epidemic situation is still accelerating and the negative impact on the economy will only deepen. At that time, not only the unemployed, the underemployed, unpaid leavers, but also the part-time speculators will also have their job opportunities plummeted, and citizens who barely keep their livelihoods may also have their wages greatly reduced. In special times, the government cannot rely on small favors such as transportation subsidies. In terms of protecting people's livelihood, the government's idea of ​​protecting the business and the big economy is not wrong. After all, nothing will exist and Mao will be attached. It is just that the government also needs to avoid losing weight and ensuring that assistance to enterprises can be implemented to employees.

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New crown pneumonia unemployment rate layoffs 01 views Chen Maobo

Source: hk1

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