Social workers won’t be asked to pledge allegiance, says Chris Sun

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han has reassured social workers in the city that they won’t be required to pledge allegiance to the government and take an oath to uphold the Basic Law, urging the industry not to overthink. 

In an interview with Ming Pao published on Friday, Sun said those requirements only apply to members of the Social Workers Registration Board since they are vested with immense public powers. 

He continued that the priority for the board following the latest revamp is to establish a mechanism as soon as possible to handle the registrations of social workers convicted of national security offenses or other serious crimes. 

Sun also sidestepped the question on whether those convicted of rioting and participating in unlawful assemblies during the social unrest are banned from becoming a social worker in the future. 

He added that each registration application will be reviewed by the board on a case-by-case basis and the matter should not be intervened by him. 

Sun believes the new cabinet of the board can strike a balance between public interest and the interest of social workers. 

The latest revamp saw the number of board members increase from 15 to 27, the number of government-appointed members rising to 17 from six. The new chair, vice-chair, and 10 other new members were sworn-in last Friday.