‘Give more job support to tourism workers’

A group of tourism workers has appealed for greater government support for the trade hit hard by the pandemic.

They also called for the reopening of the border between Hong Kong and the mainland as soon as possible to help ease their financial pain.

Four representatives from the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions on Wednesday rallied outside the government headquarters and submitted a petition.

Lam Chun-sing, chairman of the union, said many tour guides are feeling the pinch amid the pandemic and have resorted to, for example, working in government vaccination centres.

With Covid-19 bringing a halt to cross-border travel, he stressed the need to offer them job support.

“I think the government can continue to provide support to employees in the travel industry, for example continue to provide part-time jobs for them in the vaccination centre or for example local tour activities… they can share some part-time jobs,” he told RTHK’s Wong Yin-ting.

Lam also called for a long-term unemployment assistance scheme to help those who’ve lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

He hopes the border will fully reopen by the beginning of next year.