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Raindrops did not quench the determination of Hong Kong dockers who are camping outside the headquarters of Cheung Kong Building on Friday.
Dock workers of the th Hong Kong International Terminal (HIT) rallied outside the headquarters of the Cheung Kong Group in Central district in a rainy evening, to step up their pressure towards their boss, Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka Shing on Day 23 of the strike. The sea of stirkers occupied a vehicle lane outside the Cheung Kong Centre.
The dockers and their supporters put on red head bands and arm bands to show solidarity against their employer for reasonable pay rise, better working condition and a face to face dialogue withthe management level of the port operator. Representatives from various social organizations and trade unions, as well as legislative councilors joined the clan of protestors, who roared and aired their grievance over Li.
"I've been working for more than 10 years here. I'm not a stevedore, but a machine. Well, I'm joking. Of course I'm a human, but I rarely see my families, because I have to work 13 hours a day. I understand you (those who are not dock workers) may find it very uncomfortable now because of the rain, but I do feel like heaven here, compared to where we work," said Shu Pei, one of the dock workers.
In spite of the dreadful weather, the protesting dock asserted that they would hold the fort outside he Cheung Kong Centre until they get what they want.
On Thursday,Global Stevedoring Business, one of the contractors of HIT,said in a statement that it will close its business on June 30 and dismiss all employees, given that 75 percent of its people ceased working. Global stated thatit had directly talked with the striking dockers since the dispute had started, but the company is unable to satisfy their request for 20 percent salary hike, while the docker union did not accept the proposal by the company. But some staffers of Global have received offers from other stevedoring companies, including Lam Wing Transportations and Pui Kee Stevedore Company.
Even so, a stevedore still blasted Global for its "fakeness".
"Global said it wants to be an employer of consciousness. But when I asked them about what to do with my long term work-related injury on my waist, they simply told me that they were investigating. That's all," said another docker Ah Wing.
In the afternoon of the same day , the strike fund, which was donated by the communityto tide the dockers over who are on strike, were open again. Each of the dockers was given 6000 Hong Kong dollars.
