Union says 12-hour family care leave is 'good start'

RTHK - Nov 12, 2026

Civil Servants General Union chairman Fung Chuen-chung welcomed on Thursday a plan to give government employees up to 12 hours of family care leave a year, calling it a very desirable step forward in letting staff look after their families while also helping attract talent and raise morale. Asked on an RTHK programme whether 12 hours was enough, he said that was “hard to say” but that the cap could be reviewed after the scheme had been running for some time. “Every employee faces different problems at different stages of life," Fung said. "Some may have just gotten married and had a child while some older colleagues may need to look after elderly or sick parents – it really depends on individual needs. "But overall we feel that going from having no family care leave to having some is a very desirable step forward.” Fung said he hoped the business sector would follow suit so that other employees can also have such leave. Potential abuse of family care leave provisions do not worry him, he said, as supervisors can always ask for proof if they have doubts. The leave can be taken in blocks of one to four hours and is expected to start in January. Edited...

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