MTR Corp broke wage protection pledge, say protesting cleaners

More than 40 contract workers at an MTR Corporation-managed housing estate protested outside Heng Fa Chuen station yesterday, accusing the company of reneging on its obligations under the government's 'wage protection movement'.

Cleaning Workers' Union campaign organiser Wong Pui-yan said 100 cleaners were receiving only HK$16.10 to HK$22.40 an hour for working at the Heng Fa Chuen housing estate managed by the company.

The MTR Corp is one of 1,041 companies that signed up for the government's voluntary wage protection movement, aimed at ensuring minimum pay for cleaners and security guards.

'Under the wage protection movement, a participating company has to pledge that cleaners hired by it or its contractors should receive at least the median wage,' Ms Wong said.

According to official quarterly payroll statistics, the median wage for cleaners is HK$25 an hour.

'Most of the 100 cleaners concerned have worked for the contracting company for more than a decade. They not only cannot receive reasonable wages, the company recently even cut some of the part-time workers' hours from four to 31/2 hours,' Ms Wong said.

'They earn less by working fewer hours ... They have to finish the same amount of work in a shorter period. It is so unfair.'