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Furious Hong Kong dock workers started off a parade on the May 1 Labor Day to carry on with their fight for higher salaries and better working conditions, after an unfruitful negotiation with the representatives of the management.
Members of the Union of Hong Kong Dockers, represents some 450 strikers from the Kwai Tsing container terminals, paraded from the Victoria Park to the city's government headquarters, and then to the Cheong Kong Group building in Central, in a bid to exert more pressure onto the government as well as their employers to meet their demand for higher pay and better working conditions. This day also marks the 35th day of the commencement of their strike.
The dock workers were followed by more than 90 other trade union members.
The dock workers, who said that they have not received any pay rise since 1997, had been pushing for an increase of 17 to 24 per cent and improved conditions. They recently said they wouldaccept concession of a "double digit" pay increase.
Other participating trade unions also aired their dissatisfaction. Most of them demanded for a higher increase in minimum wage, stipulation of standard working hours, collective bargaining legislation and granting family allowance.
The statutory minimum wage went up from 28 Hong Kong dollars per hour to 30,taking effect on May 11. Thelocal government also established a Standard Working Hours Committee in early April this year, to study on theviability of introducing a statutory regime for standard working hours.
On the day before, the Hong Kong International Terminal (HIT), for the first time entered direct dialogue with the striking workers' representatives. One of thecontractors Everbest was also on the negotiation table. HIT's representative had acted only as an observer in the previous three rounds of talks. But neither did this round put a full stop for the spat.
"Everbest had stuck to its earlier offer of a 7 percent pay rise and an increase in benefits worth of 2 percent, with a further 5 percent pay increase next year. But what we are still looking for a double-digit increase. We are very disappointed," said Stanley Ho, the representative of the Union of Hong Kong Dockers.
The fifth round of negotiation will take place on Friday. Ho said that he was quite certain that it would not draw a conclusion for the dispute either.
