Legislators are calling for an independent complaints mechanism covering all universities after hearing a catalogue of grievances from 17 staff and student deputations.
After wall-to-wall meetings on Legco's last day of the year, the six members of the education panel still in the chamber at 6.30pm all backed a motion calling on the eight University Grants-funded institutions to set up a new joint grievance and complaints committee and make their ruling councils more transparent.
'The current mechanisms at universities are not trustworthy and nor are they fair,' said Shum Kar-ping, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Higher Education Staff Associations, which proposed the new mechanism. 'Each university has its own complaints mechanism, yet the people sitting on the committees are appointed by the president. The people carrying out the investigation are investigating their own friends.'
Chinese University general union president Emily Ng Hiu-chun said: 'So far as labour disputes are concerned, there are no explicit terms spelling out how these requests should be dealt with. Recently some staff requested a complaints hearing and their complaint was rejected.'
Baptist University Faculty and Staff Association convenor To Yiu-ming said: 'Decisions and papers of the board are not publicised. Before the board makes important decisions, employees are not allowed to take part in meaningful discussions because meetings take place behind closed doors. When complaints or grievances involve the board, we can't expect them to operate fairly or independently. There must be an independent arbitration committee and there must be representation by staff associations on the board.'
Education sector legislator Cheung Man-kwong said: 'It seems that all the conflicts within the institutions can't be resolved by themselves ... If there is a mechanism that can comprise elected representatives to look at complaint cases on behalf of institutions, then we should trust that kind of mechanism.'
