Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
As the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal has been cancelled, the Home Affairs Department’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre and the emergency hotline 2572 8427 have ceased to operate. read more
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the Secretary of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee, Mr Liu Ning, today (May 21) to exchange views on further promoting co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangxi. Also attending the meeting were the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-kai.
Mr Lee welcomed Mr Liu’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation to attend a series of events on building Guangxi into an important strategic hinterland of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Noting that Hong Kong has been playing an active role in promoting the high-quality development of the GBA, Mr Lee said that Guangxi can make good use of Hong Kong’s advantage as a core city of the GBA to better grasp the opportunities brought about by the GBA, with a view to further promoting co-operation with the GBA cities and achieving complementarity and mutual benefits.
Noting that Guangxi serves as the country’s bridgehead to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while ASEAN has long been Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner, Mr Lee said he believes that the economic ties between Hong Kong and ASEAN will continue to expand, and Hong Kong can play an important role in promoting Guangxi’s external trade, enjoying mutual benefits and unlimited business opportunities.
Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to work with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Government to pursue higher-level, deeper and broader collaboration, and promote co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangxi in such areas as trade and economic, transportation and logistics, cultural exchanges and education.
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Tai Sang Bank Limited relating to phishing emails, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the emails concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. read more
The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 is 106.1 (up 0.1 against yesterday’s index). read more
The Labour Department (LD) today (May 21) reminded employers to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for employees after the cancellation of tropical cyclone warnings or rainstorm warnings, with due consideration to the road and traffic conditions and other factors, and make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work remotely (if applicable). This will help maintain good labour-management relations, and ensure the safety of employees as well as the smooth operation of organisations.
“For staff who have genuine difficulties in resuming work on time upon cancellation of a tropical cyclone or rainstorm warning, employers should be sympathetic and handle each case flexibly. For example, employers may allow employees to resume work in stages, permit employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work remotely (if applicable) or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work,” an LD spokesman said.
The spokesman reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, Employees’ Compensation Ordinance and Minimum Wage Ordinance.
“As natural calamities cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume duty on time due to adverse weather or ‘extreme conditions’, employers should neither deduct their wages, good attendance bonus or allowances, nor reduce employees’ entitlement to annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days under the Employment Ordinance, or ask for additional hours of work from employees to compensate for the loss of working hours when they are unable to report for duty,” the spokesman said.
Employers should note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance. Moreover, under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, employers are liable to pay compensation for injuries or deaths incurred when employees are travelling by a direct route from their residence to their workplace, or from their workplace back to their residence after work, four hours before or after working hours on a day when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or “extreme conditions” is in force.
The LD has published the “Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and ‘Extreme Conditions'”, which provides the major principles, reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation on making work arrangements for the reference of employers and employees. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department’s webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf). read more