London ETO supports Musicus Society and English Chamber Orchestra's Hong Kong-London cross-cultural collaboration in UK
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London (London ETO) supported Musicus Society's cultural exchange tour in partnership with the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO), which took place from July 1 to 6 (London time).
The tour brought together ten talented Hong Kong students aged 12 to 21 for a week of enriching musical learning and cultural exchange activities in London. During their stay, the students participated in a range of activities, including a joint string ensemble with students from the United Kingdom (UK) at St. Paul's Church, professional coaching sessions led by musicians from the ECO, and visits to renowned cultural venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal College of Music Museum.
The highlight of the tour was a public concert at the historic St. Paul's Church at Covent Garden, London in the evening of July 5(London time). The performance featured a joint string ensemble comprising the ten Hong Kong students from Musicus Society and 11 students from the UK, under the guidance of professional musicians from the ECO. Around 150 guests attended the concert, which presented a programme featuring iconic works by renowned composers such as Bach, Holst and Mozart.
The Director-General of the London ETO, Miss Fiona Chau, addressed the audience at the public concert. She said, "We are delighted to support Musicus Society's cultural exchange tour in the UK. The tour provides our young musicians with valuable international learning opportunities, enabling them to perform alongside their counterparts in the UK and build lasting friendships through music. It also serves to strengthen the cultural ties between Hong Kong and the UK."
"Such exchanges showcase Hong Kong's East-meets-West character and its vibrant cultural landscape. By embracing international collaboration and nurturing home-grown talents, Hong Kong is well-positioned to emerge as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, in line with the vision set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan," she said.
Founded in 2010, Musicus Society is a registered charity in Hong Kong dedicated to promoting cross-cultural collaboration of music internationally through performances and the nurturing of the next generation of talent.
London ETO supports Musicus Society and English Chamber Orchestra's Hong Kong-London cross-cultural collaboration in UK Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
London ETO supports Musicus Society and English Chamber Orchestra's Hong Kong-London cross-cultural collaboration in UK Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
London ETO supports Musicus Society and English Chamber Orchestra's Hong Kong-London cross-cultural collaboration in UK Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Employers and employees should make reasonable work arrangements after tropical cyclones or rainstorms
The Labour Department (LD) today (July 6) 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 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 considerate and handle the situation in a flexible manner. For example, employers may allow employees to resume work by batches, 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," a spokesman for the LD 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.
"Tropical cyclones and rainstorms are natural calamities. If employees are not required to report for duty, or are released from workplaces early, or are unable to report for duty at workplaces or resume work on time, etc due to adverse weather, extreme conditions or other environmental factors beyond their control, employers should not deduct their wages, good attendance bonus, or allowances, nor require employees to compensate subsequently for the loss of working hours in response to the aforementioned situations, or reduce employees' entitlements to annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days under the Employment Ordinance to compensate for the loss of working hours resulting from the issuance of adverse weather warnings or the extreme conditions announcement," the spokesman said.
Employers have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings 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 a Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or extreme conditions are in force.
The LD's latest revised "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'" sets out the relevant guidelines in a reader-friendly and concise manner, reiterating the three major principles for formulating work arrangements under adverse weather and extreme conditions, including formulating work arrangements in advance, giving prime consideration to employees' safety, and complying with requirements of labour legislation, and incorporating corporate examples for reference. 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
