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Work arrangements during rainstorms urged
Prior agreement between employers and employees with regard to work arrangements and contingency measures in times of rainstorms is important to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding and disputes.
With the advent of the rainy season, Senior Labour Officer (Labour Relations Promotion) of the Labour Department, Mrs Bernadette Lai, today (Tuesday) reminded employers and employees to reach an agreement on work arrangements during inclement weather without delay.
"Statutory regulations of work arrangements in times of rainstorms would not be practicable because of the diversity in nature and requirements of job in various trades and industries.
"Therefore, employers are strongly advised to adopt a flexible approach in drawing up work arrangements during inclement weather. Due consideration should be given to employees' safety in workplace as well as their journey to and from work." she said.
The Labour Department has published a bilingual booklet entitled "Code of Practice in Times of Typhoons and Rainstorms" which serves as a reference guide to facilitate employers and employees to make early work arrangements for inclement weather.
Copies of the Code have been sent to 240 employer associations and 559 trade unions. This publication is also available at various Labour Relations Service offices throughout the territory.
"In addition, the message has also been delivered to the managing personnel through the regular personnel managers club meetings since this February," Mrs Lai said.
An agreement on work arrangements should normally cover rules regarding report of duty, release from work, resumption of work and wages calculation.
"The agreement should also state clearly the colour code of rainstorm under which employees are not required to work and the time of issue of such signals when they are not required to report for duty," Mrs Lai said.