Unionists issue 'Labour Day Declaration'

Unionists on Wednesday called on the government to improve labour protection, boost benefits for public servants and increase the city's minimum wage. Nine labour and civil service unions issued a "Labour Day Declaration" ahead of May 1, with 10 policy suggestions, including an end to further labour imports and improving occupational safety. The chairman of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council, Lee Kwok-keung, said the city’s minimum hourly wage should be increased by HK$15. “While our proposed increase from HK$40 an hour to HK$55 seems substantial, we should bear in mind the fact that a basic lunch can easily cost HK$55. If the minimum wage doesn't even cover the cost of a meal, it's not really reasonable,” he said. Unionist lawmaker Lam Chun-sing, meanwhile, noted a recent 0.1 percentage point increase in Hong Kong's unemployment rate, meaning an extra 9,400 people – 111,700 in total – were out of work. Lam, who is also the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, urged the government to provide a job-matching service for businesses participating in labour importation schemes, with the aim of getting them to prioritise local people. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Federation of HKSAR Civil Servants, Lee Fong-chung, said there is a need for the government to come up with policies to address staff shortages. Lee said the annual retirement rate for senior government positions has hit 10 percent and there has been a "huge" number of resignations in recent years. “We think it's very important for the government to refill the vacancies as soon as possible, through regular recruitment or transferring some contract [workers] onto permanent terms,” he said. Lee said the number of government workers in their 20s and 30s resigning has been particularly high and more family-friendly policies are needed to keep hold of them. “Like [increasing] maternity leave… And also, the government may amend some policy on the long-term investment for the civil servants, like they can use a portion of their pension fund for them to buy a house or to buy medical insurance,” he said. The chairman of the Government Employees Association, Cheung Hoi-wing, added that many civil servants have chosen to retire in mainland cities in recent years and the government should extend civil servant healthcare benefits to cover the whole Greater Bay Area.