Battle for better deal continues: workers
Bar benders back on the job, but pay-hours agreement will be reviewed in March
Bar benders this morning return to construction sites they walked off more than a month ago after settling their strike last night, but vowed to fight on for even better working conditions.
With three Labour Department officials as mediators, the bar benders and their employers reached an agreement on pay and working hours after a six-hour meeting.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung welcomed the agreement, saying: 'I am pleased that a consensus on the reference wage rate and working hours has been reached through mutual understanding and a rational dialogue between both parties.
'The Contractors' Association has met its social responsibility.'
Bar benders representatives said they would continue to push for improved pay, however, and a review of last night's agreed pay arrangement would be held in March.
Disagreements between the city's two main unions - the Beijing-friendly Federation of Trade Unions and the more grass-roots Confederation of Trade Unions - persisted to the very end.
The federation called for a secret ballot of only licensed bar benders, while the confederation went for a 'quick and fast' show of hands of all the workers gathered outside the meeting venue.
Just after 9pm, representatives emerged from a meeting with the contractors which had begun at 3.15pm and asked the 200 workers outside the Labour Department's headquarters to vote on a proposal for a daily wage of HK$860 for an eight-hour day, a 14.24 per cent rise. The strikers voted unanimously by a show of hands in favour of the plan.
Legislator and confederation general secretary Lee Cheuk-yan told the workers after the vote: 'This battle has lasted for 36 days ... This is not easy. If you are not happy with this result, I promise you we will set up a stronger union for bar benders to fight for workers' rights and interests with stronger efforts and unity.'
Mr Lee and his union have emerged a popular figures among the bar benders. The federation, which represented the workers at the talks, drew the ire of the strikers last night. They said they had been 'betrayed' by its representatives and accused them of showing up only for the talks.
Chairman of the Bar-bending Contractor's Association Tsang Tang-fat said he hoped last night's settlement would end the dispute.
'I hope workers and the contractors will get along well in the future, just like brothers, and will continue to make contributions to the construction industry together.'
During an informal meeting on Monday, contractors offered workers a daily wage of HK$880 for eight hours and 15 minutes of work. Workers, however, argued that for HK$880 they would work only an eight-hour day. They demanded HK$900 for an eight-hour-and-15-minute shift.
