Legco Approves 14 Weeks Maternity Leave

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2020-07-09 HKT 18:08

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  Lawmakers voted in favour to increase maternity leave, from the current 10 weeks to 14 weeks. Image: Shutterstock

New mothers can soon see their statutory maternity leave increased from the current 10 weeks to 14 weeks, after Legco gave almost unanimous support for the relevant legislative changes.

The government said that the policy, which will kick in by the end of this year, will reimburse employers for the cost of the additional leave, capped at HK$80,000 per worker.

Fifty-four legislators voted in favour of the changes while just two abstained.

Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung, who voted in favour of the policy, said more can be done to protect the rights of new parents.

"First, it's not 100 percent salary covered, we certainly hope that [it] could be extended to 100 percent of monthly incomes of all pregnant women," Cheung said.

"Also, we'd like to look forward to the concept of parental leave, which would allow flexibility of leave taken by either side – mother or father, sometimes both – that would help promote the shared responsibility."