A cleaners' union plans to petition Executive Council convenor Leung Chun-ying to demand he arrange a meeting with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to discuss its controversial outsourcing policy.
The Cleaning Workers' Union, which has 500 members, said it had previously asked Mr Leung to set up a meeting with the department to discuss the problems of low-income cleaners employed by the department's contractors. It received no reply.
'We told Mr Leung's assistant that we wanted an answer before last Friday, but we still heard nothing from them. We will hold a petition on Tuesday, when members of the Executive Council have a meeting,' said Wong Pui-yan, the union's campaign organiser.
Ms Wong pointed out that the department divided cleaners into two groups - cleaners and toilet cleaners - with the latter paid a lower wage.
'The department wants to save money as they do not have to pay the same amount to all cleaners. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Housing Department have also outsourced cleaning jobs to contractors, but they do not divide cleaners into groups and give them all the same wage rate,' she said.
'What we really want to see is whether Mr Leung can bring this issue to the Executive Council, and also arrange a meeting with the FEHD and urge it to review its outsourcing policy.'
The department said workers were classified as either cleaners or toilet attendants, according to the nature of their work.