FTU calls for subsidised childcare for civil servants
Civil servants should be offered subsidised childcare services, with facilities housed within government buildings, the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) said on Thursday. The FTU said that in a recent survey it carried out involving 365 women, almost 60 percent of respondents said they had to give up work to look after children or elderly relatives. Vice chairman and lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung said the government should do its part in encouraging people back into the workforce, by providing childcare services for children of civil servants up until the age of three. “Such childcare services could be implemented in newly built government buildings in the Northern Metropolis Development Area, as well as in renovated buildings in urban areas,” he said.  “Of course there should be a fee, but only at a discounted price like HK$2,000 to HK$3,000 per month per child. We think it’s reasonable.” The FTU also called for paternity leave to be extended from the current 14 weeks to 16, as well as flexible working hours and further tax reductions for working mothers.