Strike over workload

ABOUT 300 officers at the Lands Department will tomorrow sit at their desks but refuse to do anything in protest against what they say is a heavy workload.

The one-day strike, involving about 90 per cent of the department's land executives, was triggered last month when an officer was assaulted by Yuen Long villagers for his delays in screening applications for building village houses.

The union claimed the department was responsible because it failed to increase manpower. But rural leaders accused officers of ''creating an excuse for themselves to be lazy'' and threatened more attacks if they continued to drag their feet.