16 local arts groups and partnered arts organisations become new round of LCSD venue partners
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will implement the new (sixth) round of the Venue Partnership Scheme for three years from April 2026 to March 2029. Sixteen selected local arts groups and partnered arts organisations specialising in different art forms will become the partners of 11 LCSD performance venues:
Venue
Facility
Venue Partner
1.
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Concert Hall
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Grand Theatre
Hong Kong Dance Company
2.
Hong Kong City Hall
Concert Hall
Hong Kong Sinfonietta
Theatre
Hong Kong Repertory Theatre
3.
Yau Ma Tei Theatre
Theatre
The Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong
4.
Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre
Theatre
E-Side Dance Company
5.
Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre
Theatre
Drip Music
6.
Sheung Wan Civic Centre
Theatre
Zuni Icosahedron
7.
Sha Tin Town Hall
Cultural Activities Hall
Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble
8.
North District Town Hall
Auditorium
Hong Kong Theatre Works
9.
Kwai Tsing Theatre
Auditorium
Chung Ying Theatre Company
10.
Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Auditorium
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
Cultural Activities Hall
Actors' Family
11.
Tuen Mun Town Hall
Auditorium
Spring-Time Experimental Theatre and Spring-Time Chinese Opera
Cultural Activities Hall
POP Theatre
Launched in 2009, the Venue Partnership Scheme supports arts development by promoting partnerships between LCSD performance venues and arts groups/organisations. The enhanced sixth-round Scheme seeks to nurture the artistic levels and competitiveness of venue partners, strengthen venue identities, incentivise the good use of existing facilities to present more venue-suiting programmes, and encourage the development of performing arts at the community level, thereby fostering the diversified and professional development of arts and culture.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Photo source: reference image
Employers and employees should make reasonable work arrangements after tropical cyclones or rainstorms
The Labour Department (LD) today (June 8) reminded employers to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for employees after the cancellation of tropical cyclone warnings or rainstorm warnings, with due consideration to the road and traffic conditions and other factors, and make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work remotely (if applicable). This will help maintain good labour-management relations, and ensure the safety of employees as well as the smooth operation of organisations.
"For staff who have genuine difficulties in resuming work on time upon cancellation of a tropical cyclone or rainstorm warning, employers should be sympathetic and handle each case flexibly. For example, employers may allow employees to resume work in stages, permit employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work remotely (if applicable) or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work," an LD spokesman said.
The spokesman reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, Employees' Compensation Ordinance and Minimum Wage Ordinance.
"As natural calamities cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume duty on time due to adverse weather or extreme conditions, employers should neither deduct their wages, good attendance bonus or allowances, nor reduce employees' entitlement to annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days under the Employment Ordinance, or ask for additional hours of work from employees to compensate for the loss of working hours when they are unable to report for duty," the spokesman said.
Employers should note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance. Moreover, under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, employers are liable to pay compensation for injuries or deaths incurred when employees are travelling by a direct route from their residence to their workplace, or from their workplace back to their residence after work, four hours before or after working hours on a day when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or extreme conditions are in force.
The LD has published the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'", which provides the major principles, reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation on making work arrangements for the reference of employers and employees. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department's webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf).
Source: AI-found images
