Textile employees urged the Government yesterday to reject employers' demands for 10,000 foreign workers.
They said they should not be imported and would amount to 'cheaper labour'.
The local workers said they had worked for years in an industry that was the mainstay of Hong Kong's economy from the 1960s until the 1980s.
Their appeal came after several manufacturers asked the Government to ease restrictions on importing unskilled workers.
Of a total workforce of about 45,000, only about 100 workers were imported, according to the Federation of Trade Unions. Current restrictions made it difficult to import any more.
Manufacturers said high employee turnover would force them to close their factories and move to the mainland.
Workers at a press conference held by the union yesterday disputed claims of high staff turnovers.