Unions are to boycott Labour Day celebrations at Government House today amid claims that workers' rights in the SAR are lagging behind those overseas.
On a day when unions say 500,000 people will be at work in Hong Kong despite it being a statutory holiday, the Confederation of Trade Unions will hold a rally in Wan Chai rather than attend a cocktail reception with government officials.
Confederation general secretary and legislator Lee Cheuk-yan said: 'Labour Day here is a time for protest, not celebration, because the workers are getting worse off every day. For example, Labour Day has seen a call for an eight-hour working day since its creation more than 100 years ago, but many of us are still working 12-hour days, with some working longer than that.'
Union leaders had been invited to Government House for drinks with Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and other senior government officials. They attended a similar function last year.
A survey published yesterday claimed Hong Kong's labour protection lagged behind that in Japan, Taiwan and even the mainland. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions said while other countries and territories offered protection to workers in terms of minimum wages, collective bargaining power and continuous contracts, Hong Kong offered none.
Council chairman Lee Kwok-keung said: 'The Government should look into these problems. Hong Kong's labour law was written in 1968. There have only been very minor changes through these 33 years.'
But the Labour Department said there had been substantial improvements in labour rights and benefits in recent years, including the setting up of the Labour Advisory Board, which frequently reviews labour legislation.
