The Hong Kong Legislative Council on Thursday approved a motion to fast-track a bill that would extend maternity leave from 10 to 14 weeks — benefiting about 270,000 working women.
The bill, which had been slated for deliberation in the now-paralyzed House Committee, will be discussed by the Panel on Manpower instead, making it the first time this has happened since 1997.
The motion passed 38-20 with one abstention.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong introduced the bill in LegCo after the extension was first proposed in October 2018 in the government’s Policy Address. According to LegCo rules, the House Committee must decide whether or not to establish a bills committee on the maternity leave bill. It may then discuss it with the bills committee to get it passed. But the House Committee has failed to perform its duties after it was unable to elect its leader and deputy leader after 12 meetings due to filibustering by opposition lawmakers.
This was an unusual decision taken to avoid continuous filibustering by the House Committee’s opposition lawmakers, who have paralyzed the normal procedures of the bill, said Law. He stressed that the SAR government is not planning on using the same tactic with other bills.
It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure that the bill is passed within this legislative year, which ends in mid-July, Law said.
It takes 18 months to implement the bill if it is passed, Law said. This means the extension to maternity leave could come into effect as soon as the end of 2021.
