Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation turning blind eye to bullying in workplace, union says
Survey finds four in every five employees at city’s railway operator feel they have been unreasonably treated by supervisors
Hong Kong’s railway operator was on Thursday accused by a union of turning a blind eye to bullying of junior staff, after a poll revealed four in every five employees felt they had been unreasonably treated by supervisors.
Examples of mistreatment cited by MTR staff included being verbally abused in public places. In one case, an administrative assistant complained that after working for the firm for 28 years to the satisfaction of bosses, she was then fired after failing an appraisal by a new supervisor two years in a row.
The poll results came on the back of staff complaints made to the Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions about administrative bullying and unfair dismissals.
The survey, conducted by the union on about 1,000 MTR staff in mid-November, showed that about 84 per cent said bullying existed in their departments. Almost 82 per cent said the company’s use of administrative means to bully staff was a serious issue.
As of the end of last year, the MTR Corporation and its subsidiaries employed 17,639 staff in Hong Kong.