Government May Suspend Welfare-to-work Penalty

The government is considering a partial suspension of a scheme which penalises welfare recipients who refuses to take part in a scheme intended to help them find work.

The scheme covers people of working age who claim Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. It requires them to meet social workers who can help them find work, or lose HK$200 a month in welfare payments.

It's in the spotlight because more people will be claiming working-age CSSA when the government increases the minimum age for welfare for the elderly from 60 to 64 next month. Sources say it's this group who would be exempted from the penalty.

The news came as some 200 people joined a march to the Chief Executive's Office to demand the scrapping of the change in eligibility age for elderly welfare.

"This is certainly a punishment instead of an encouragement," Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung said of the HK$200 penalty.

"We think this is totally unreasonable, and even if they were to scrap that HK$200 punishment, we would not accept this proposal.

"The entire proposal is a punishment for the elderly on CSSA anyway. We should not punish the old and the poor."