Half of the orders for Watsons Water will fail to reach customers today, as delivery workers remain on strike for a third day.
About 200 went on strike on Wednesday over demands that the company hire more staff and increase their allowances. Yesterday afternoon, they protested outside the A.S. Watson & Co offices in Tai Po.
The union said the strikers accounted for two-thirds of the delivery workers, and since the action began deliveries had dropped by half, to 20,000 bottles of distilled water a day.
About 70 people continued the protest last night.
Union organiser Leung Wai-yam said the staff shortage had greatly increased their workload, while their wages were HK$2,000 to HK$5,000 a month behind those paid by competitors. The workers earn an average of HK$13,000 a month.
He said the company had shown disrespect to the union by demanding it accept its offer of concessions by noon yesterday. The union did not have sufficient time to make counterproposals, he said.
A spokesman for Watsons said last night that it was disappointed an agreement could not be reached, 'as the [workers] kept making additional demands at the negotiating table'. He said the meeting had been adjourned.