LettersHigh time Hong Kong played fair with unsung workforce that keeps city running

Long hours and low pay are everyday realities for workers such as security guards and cleaners

Parents should not stigmatise blue-collar work and should teach children to recognise and respect the dignity of labour

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An elderly cleaner on duty at the Shanghai Street/Waterloo Road public toilet in Yau Ma Tei. A survey from March to April 2019 found 70 per cent of public toilet cleaners do not have a suitable place to eat their meals while on duty, with some forced to eat in washrooms. Photo: David Wong

Published: 6:00pm, 28 Apr 2019Updated: 6:00pm, 28 Apr 2019

I refer to the April 13 article “A thankless task but someone has to do it – meet the men and women who keep people and property safe while everyone else sleeps”, about our mostly middle-aged workforce of security guards.

They are keeping us safe all right, but are also being forced to compromise on their own health and quality of life because of inhumane work hours and low pay, as a trade union study has shown (“1 in 5 Hong Kong employees ‘works an average of 55 hours per week’”, April 14).

People find different jobs according to their ability. However, it seems there are some jobs that no one likes to do. Parents see blue-collar work as being low quality and therefore tell their children that if they do not work hard, they will have no choice but to be manual labourers.

Undeniably, our security guards, cleaners and manual labourers should be praised for keeping the city moving, but they are the ones who suffer. What would the city be without the service rendered by such workers?

It is time that they were recognised for the work they do, and for such low wages. Ways must be found to improve their quality of life and their pay.

Both the government and private employers should provide benefits to these people, such as introducing standard working hours and increasing the minimum wage.