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HKCTU E-Newsletter

National Security Law Threatens Professional Ethics

2020-09-18

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress forcibly implemented the National Security Law, which has triggered the worries in Hong Kong society. The senior government officials have repeatedly emphasized that the legislation is only ‘targeting a small group of people’ and has no effect on the lives of the general public, it is hardly convincing. Many people with different professional backgrounds said that the National Security Law affects their performance of work duties and even damages their professional ethics

‘Fighting ‘til the end’ is not just words--Lee Cheuk Yan’s activism under National Security Law

2020-09-18

Over the past year, Hong Kong has experienced drastic changes. Many amateurs have taken part in the protest and their lives have become completely different. Lee Cheuk Yan, the general secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and a senior activist, was also deeply moved by the unbroken line of protestors. After the National Security Law took effect, Yan, who is also the chairman of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China, became a high-risk figure to be targeted by the regime. The closing of the prison gate is in a foreseeable future. What kind of change has Yan experienced this year, and how does he deal with the new situation after the implementation of national security law?

A New Way Out for Hong Kong's Struggle? Interview with ‘Defiant Stewardess’ Ng Man Yee, Chairman of Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union

2020-03-04

On New Year's Day in 2020, the Civil Human Rights Front(CHRF) launched a demonstration entitled ‘Never forget, March Side by Side’, expressing the quest of the people of Hong Kong, which is, ‘five demands, all indispensable.’ CHRF notes that a total of 1.03 million people participated in the demonstration.

During the demonstration, the ‘Hong Kong on Strike’ and more than 40 unions set up street stands along the demonstration routes to recruit members and strengthen the organization of the struggle. However, at the beginning of the march, police barged into the stand of the Construction Site Workers' General Union outside the Southorn Playground in Wan Chai and arrested a volunteer of ‘Hong Kong on Strike’ for unknown reason. The riot police also fired pepper spray on other union members. According to ‘Stand News’, a police officer used a loudspeaker at the scene and stated that the police were investigating a case of possession of weapons. The unions issued a statement condemning the police for oppression.

The Transformation of Traditional Trade Unions: From 'Wage-Claiming Machine' to Combining Strength for Three-Front Strike

2020-01-17

At the same time, traditional democratic trade unions are tasting a breath of fresh air brought by new blood who joined in.  The Construction Site Workers General Union (Construction Site Union hereafter) was established in 1992. Members come from different fields of construction work, including plastering, formwork erection among others.  The Construction Site Union hereafter and Bar Bending Industry Workers Solidarity Union are both affiliated to HKCTU. Two officers are employed by the CTU to carry out administrative duties, advocacy work, and casework for the two unions

Anti-Extradition Bill Movement Series- Three Work Sectors Which Have Suffered from Police Brutality 

2020-01-17

Since the outbreak of the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in June, the problem of abuse of police power has become more serious, and violence (such as the excessive use of tear gas) has become common. The police have lost control, the monitory mechanism has been failing, but the government still turned a blind eye to the problem and refused to establish an Independent Investigation Committee. The unrestricted police power not only harms the protestors, but also ordinary citizens. One could be deprived of one’s legal rights, and one’s personal safety is not guaranteed. In the past few months, some workers have been affected due to the special circumstances in their work sectors. A lot of problems occurred to wage earners, which affirm the saying, ‘Even if you are ignorant of politics, politics will still come to your door.

2020: 5% Salary Raises Recommended 

2020-01-17

Conventional economic theory believes that market wages reflect the level of labour productivity; however, statistics show that local real wages have long fallen behind productivity growth. From 2009 to 2018, the overall economic productivity increased by nearly 26%, but the real wages increased by less than 8% during the same period. The difference between the two categories was more than 18 percentage points. The difference in the retail and transportation industries was close to 60 percentage points. In short, it shows that there is still a lot of room for a raise in real wages

A City Defended by Our Children:  Labour Rights Activists Teach by Examples and the Art of Communication between Parent and Child

2020-01-17

Faced with totalitarian rule, the youngsters took to the streets in different ways compared to the previous generation. From June to November, the older generation was at first puzzled by their action, but gradually came to understanding. Or at least, became empathetic with the youngsters, no longer criticize their approach and choose to stand by them. How great is unspelled love?[1] There are often few words spoken between father and son. When their sons went on the street to protest, the labour rights activists observe silently and are gratified to learn that, unwittingly, their sons have matured.

The Voters Have Quietly Awakened and Refused to Perish in Silence

2020-01-17

The turnout rate for the current District Council election reaches 71%, which is the highest among the previous district and legislative elections in Hong Kong. Among the three million voters who have already voted, nearly 1.7 million voters supported the candidates recommended by the Pan-Democratic camp, which implies that the popular vote of Pro-democratic candidates comes close to 60%. Compared with the 2015 District Council election, the number of votes obtained by the Pan-Democratic camp increases by more than 1.08 million. After six months of Anti-Extradition Bill Movement, many Hong Kong people regard this election as a ‘referendum’ and ‘no-trust vote’ to the Hong Kong communist regime and as a punishment to the ‘pro-Beijing’ candidates who have become the accomplice of tyranny. Faced with the erosion of human rights in Hong Kong under the communist regime in recent years and the police violence in recent months, the election results have indeed helped Hong Kong people vent their anger. 

‘Battlefield’ social workers between police and protesters

2019-10-10

At scenes of conflicts,  there are usually a group of people wearing the identification badges which are not police warrant cards but the social worker identification badges. The holders of the badges have no privileges and are not spared from the beats of batons. At the time of writing, some social workers were beaten and some were arrested

[Mayday Special] Ridiculous working condition as new normal. Haven't you got enough?

2019-04-15