Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's social media page has been flooded by angry comments from Hong Kong internet users over traffic complaints and disruption as works resumed after Typhoon Mangkhut hits the city.
On Sunday, the chief executive issued a statement, stating "for employers to show understanding and flexibility in handling staff who have practical difficulties in resuming work". However, on Monday, there were lots of commuters at train stations which caused frustrations saying that the authorities should have urged employers to grant a day off for employees.
At around 5 p.m. on that same day, the Facebook page of Lam received more than 15,000 angry reactions, and more than 6,700 comments, many of which were from disgruntled users.
"Can MTR and bus services resume normal operations on Monday? If not, call it a day off and don't make money the priority," northern district council member Yiu Ming commented - a member of the pro-establishment Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Chinese University associate professor of economics Terence Chong Tai-leung said that if there's not work in the city last Monday, economic loss could amount to about HK$7.3 billion (US$930 million). But, he also said the actual figure could be lower since some could work from home while others could make up for the loss in future.
When Lam asked on Monday if the government should have given people the day off work, she responded it would be more suitable for "employers and employees to handle the issue with mutual understanding".
"I call upon employers not to punish their employees who were late or could not make it to work," Lam added.
Hours after her remarks, the Civil Service Bureau issued notices to bureau and department chiefs. They reminded them to handle the attendance of their colleagues on Monday with flexibility. However, a civil service union chief questioned the comments by Lam and the bureau.
Chief executive of the Federation of Civil Service Unions Leung Chau-ting told the media that majority of the colleagues are complaining as they didn't know the existence of such flexibility. He added that civil servants started their work after hearing the comment of Lam and felt annoyed.
Ray Yep Kin-man, a City University political scientist, noted that Lam needs to follow the Macau government's example wherein they give civil servants in non-emergency services a day off.
"Officials should be informed about the damage on Sunday and know that it would be impossible for a lot of people to go to work ... If the government had taken the lead, a lot of companies would choose to rest too," he said.
According to the South China Morning Post, most banks in Hong Kong returned to business on Monday while the city cleaned up the damaged caused by Mangkhut. HSBC, which is one of the largest banks in the city, allowed employees to work from home if they had difficulty getting to offices.
"Our first priority is the safety of our staff, customers and their families," the bank said.
