In this file photo dated February 19, 2021, a staff member wearing a face mask works in a coffee shop in Hong Kong, China. Several labor groups have expressed concern about the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's plans to expand the importation of foreign labor in certain industries, calling on the authorities to prioritize benefits for local workers and offer local employees a variety of job opportunities.
The Federation of Hong Kong Transportation and Logistics industry union, Public Light Buses Staff Union, Airport Air Freight Employees Association, and Coach Drivers Union all filed a protest Friday against the importation plan outside the government headquarters in Admiralty.
Many front-line workers have expressed concern to the federation, saying importing a significant number of workers will jeopardize employment opportunities for local grass-roots workers, such as baggage handlers and cabin cleaners, as the entry threshold for these positions is relatively low.
A worker representative from the Public Light Bus Staff Union said that many people are able to work as light bus drivers in Hong Kong, but the low salaries and insufficient working conditions result in a continuous loss of driver numbers. The average salary of road bus drivers is 13000 to 14000 per month, far lower than the average of the entire transportation industry, which is 23496 per month.
A representative of the Airport Air Freight Employees Association expressed concern that local employees will be affected by the arrival of imported workers, which could lead to a rising shortage of personnel at the airport.
Besides increasing wages, the Association called for greater transportation subsidies for airport staff or a free shuttle bus to help them commute to and from work.
Members of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions met Monday with Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, and Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han to discuss the issue of importing overseas workers. The party also submitted a written proposal on ways to better utilize the city's labor resources.
Wong Ping, the vice-chairman of the group, said the government is always rolling out construction projects, to avoid competing for workers at the same time.
To make better use of the city's labor resources, Kingley Wong Kwok, chairman of the federation urged the government to strengthen support for females to enter the labor market and optimize education at colleges and universities to cultivate more local talent.
The Labor chief has called for central ministers to deepen cooperation.
He also recommended that officials ensure that salary and welfare improvements continue with the city's economic expansion, while doubling down on efforts to introduce technology to increase local production capacity.
Lam Sai-hung told a media luncheon on Thursday that ongoing recruitment problems in the transport industry will have a long-term economic impact on society.
before they import any vehicles, Lam said that before they import any drivers, the HKSAR government will consider the impact on employment levels of local drivers and consult extensively with industry representatives.