- Title: CHINA: Thousands protest in Hong Kong on labour day as dockers continue strike
- Date: 1st May 2013
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (MAY 1, 2013) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS WALKING BANNER SAYING "MAY DAY PROTEST. EQUALITY. DIGNITY. FAMILY HARMONY." VARIOUS OF DOCKER WITH RED BANNER ON FOREHEAD SAYING "STRIKE!" SHOUTING "WORKERS UNITE" AND "GIVE LABOURERS DIGNITY" VARIOUS OF PROP SHOWING WORKER SQUEEZED TO DEATH IN MACHINE BETWEEN CARDBOARD CUTOUTS SHOWING ASIA'S RICHEST MAN LI KA-SHING WITH WORD "DEMON" ON FOREHEAD (LEFT) AND HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE LEUNG CHUN-YING WITH WORD "TURTLE (CANTONESE SLANG FOR COWARD)" ON FOREHEAD (RIGHT) PROTESTERS LEE CHEUK-YAN, ORGANIZER, GENERAL SECRETARY OF CONFEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS AND LEGISLATOR (SECOND FROM LEFT IN BLACK SHIRT) GESTURING BANNERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEE CHEUK-YAN, ORGANIZER, GENERAL SECRETARY OF CONFEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS AND LEGISLATOR, SAYING: "So it's really very shameful that Hong Kong being the richest, or one of the richest cities in the world, and Li Ka-shing being the eighth richest person in the world, under his regime, there are such shameful working conditions of 24 hours work, no lunch break, no toilet break, and very low working wages. So I think, people, in a way, even in Hong Kong, without a strike, they don't even realize there are such horrible working conditions." VARIOUS OF DOCKERS WITH RED BANNERS ON FOREHEADS SHOUTING "PERSIST UNTIL THE END" KEN LAI, DOCKER WITH 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON STRIKE FOR 35 DAYS, ONLOOKING BANNERS (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) KEN LAI, DOCKER WITH 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON STRIKE FOR 35 DAYS, SAYING: "How do we view the rich companies? From day one, the first day of the strike, we already knew we had to persist. So we must get them out to have conversations with us. They must know our demands. For our dignity, we must persist and continue until the very end." BANNER ON DOCK WORKER'S FOREHEAD SAYING "WORKERS UNITE" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WALKING NEXT TO TRAMS WOMAN ON TRAM ONLOOKING PROTESTERS IN YELLOW SAFETY HATS WALKING VARIOUS OF BEAR KEUNG, STAFF AT LABOUR PARTY, DRESSED AS TWO-FACED MAN AND SWINGING WHIP (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) BEAR KEUNG, STAFF AT LABOUR PARTY, SAYING: "Today we want to express how the bosses are like two-faced men. To the public, they appear as humans, but in front of our worker friends, they are something completely different, like a joker, a demon, or a wolf. They drink our blood and exploit our wages. Work days become longer, but our wages never keep up to speed with inflation. So today we wear these costumes to mock Hong Kong employers." VARIOUS OF POLICEMEN NEXT TO PROTESTERS
- Embargoed: 16th May 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Hong Kong, China
- City:
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: General,Employment,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAZ840VW6WD7K89QDWE7BGYPZW
- Story Text: Several thousand people protested in Hong Kong on Labour Day on Wednesday (May 1) to demand better labour rights and voice support for about 450 dockers who have been on strike for over a month.
Organizers said 5,000 people took part in the annual demonstration that was spearheaded by a few hundred striking dock workers who called for higher wages and wore red banners on their foreheads to symbolize their determination.
Police counted 3,700 people at the peak of the protest that fell on a one-day public holiday.
The dockers' strike dragged onto its 35th day on Wednesday (May 1) as dozens continued to camp outside the headquarters of Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing, who operates the world's third-largest container port in Hong Kong.
Unionists, pressing for a double-digit pay rise, say the dockers' salaries have remained the same for the past decade. They also demanded improved hygiene facilities.
Organizer, union leader and legislator, Lee Cheuk-yan, said the strike raised awareness but the rich Asian city should be ashamed that it tolerated what he called "shameful and horrible" working conditions.
"So it's really very shameful that Hong Kong being the richest, or one of the richest cities in the world, and Li Ka-shing being the eighth richest person in the world, under his regime, there are such shameful working conditions of 24 hours work, no lunch break, no toilet break, and very low working wages. So I think, people, in a way, even in Hong Kong, without a strike, they don't even realize there are such horrible working conditions," said Lee, who helped to organize Wednesday's protest.
The workers are seeking a pay rise from contractors who supply employees for port operator Hongkong International Terminals (HIT), a unit of Li's Hutchison Whampoa.
HIT has left it up to contractors and strikers to negotiate. The fourth round of talks ended late on Tuesday (April 30) night with no results and is expected to continue on Thursday (May 2).
The dock workers demanded that Li, who had not commented on the strike since it began in late March, to intervene.
"How do we view the rich companies? From day one, the first day of the strike, we already knew we had to persist. So we must get them out to have conversations with us. They must know our demands. For our dignity, we must persist and continue until the very end," said Ken Lai, a docker with 20 years of experience who took part in the strike from day one.
Among the plethora of banners squeezed through the city's skyscrapers on Wednesday were slogans demanding standard working hours, collective bargaining power, and an annual review over minimum wage. Some protesters also expressed their frustration with their management.
Several people walked with placards that showed Li and the city's unpopular leader, Leung Chun-ying, next to a bloody worker killed by a factory machine.
A few others dressed as half-monsters to mock their bosses.
"Today we want to express how the bosses are like two-faced men. To the public, they appear as humans, but in front of our worker friends, they are something completely different, like a joker, a demon, or a wolf. They drink our blood and exploit our wages. Work days become longer, but our wages never keep up to speed with inflation. So today we wear these costumes to mock Hong Kong employers," said Bear Keung, who works with the Labour Party.
Wednesday saw the day when a recently-approved hike to the city's minimum wage would take effect. It rose to HK$30 (US$3.87) per hour from HK$28 (US$3.61).
This year's Labour Day protest was the biggest in Hong Kong in recent years. Last year, organizers estimated that about 3,200 protesters gathered, while police put the number at 1,000. In 2011, unionists said about 3,000 took part in the annual demonstration. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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