The EOC recently garnered two accolades at the Directors Of The Year Awards 2018. In addition to winning the titular award in the category “Statutory/No-profit-distributing Organisations”, the EOC received special recognition for its Excellence in Board Diversity.

Eleven enterprises took the lead to sign the EOC’s Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers on 6 December 2018, pledging to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. They include Arup, AXA, CLP Holdings Limited, Community Business, Fairwood Holdings Limited, Hiu Kwong Group, Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hong Kong, HSBC, Jardine Aviation Services Group, Manulife (International) Limited and Shun Tak Holdings Limited.

On 4 December 2018, the EOC issued legal proceedings under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO), Cap. 480 in the District Court, on behalf of a woman (the Claimant) who previously worked for a company (the 1st Respondent) as a Manager. The Claimant alleged that the 1st Respondent discriminated against her on the ground of her pregnancy, adding that her former direct supervisor (2nd Respondent) knowingly aided the 1st Respondent to commit the unlawful discriminatory acts, including, but not limited to, extending the Claimant’s probation without any valid reasons; removing her main duties; relocating her to a new workstation near the washroom; denying her access to office email and printing machines; removing her from all work-related communication channels and platforms; requiring her to take unpaid leave to attend medical examination in relation to her pregnancy; and terminating her employment upon return from maternity leave.

As celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) spring up across the world this month, EOC Chairperson, Prof Alfred Chan Cheung-ming released an article on InMedia on 7 December, remembering the spirit of UDHR and calling on the Government to step up its commitment to promoting equal rights by filling longstanding gaps in anti-discrimination laws. The article was also published in the South China Morning Post on 9 December 2018, and in Ming Pao Daily (online version) and Hong Kong Economic Journal on 10 December 2018 respectively.