Minimum wage boosted turnover of airport security staff
Turnover of security guards at Chek Lap Kok shot up to 30 per cent last year, but pay rises have since reduced the problem, company boss says
The head of security at the city's airport has blamed the introduction of the minimum wage last year for a staffing crisis that pushed frontline staff turnover at the 3,400-strong company to a record 30 per cent.
"Turnover was 30 per cent last year because of the minimum wage," said Sidney Chau Foo-cheong, Avseco's executive director. "It was a difficult year; a lot of people were leaving, a lot to Legco or the police for better pay."
However, Chau - a former director of security with the police force - said a 6 per cent pay rise this year, on top of a 5 per cent increase last year, had reduced staff turnover to 20 per cent. The pay for a frontline security guard is now just below HK$12,000 a month.
But Li Hoi, general secretary of the security guards' union, said this was not enough given the specialist nature of aviation security. "They are different from ordinary security guards," he said.
"Even the guards at the Landmark and Times Square are being paid between HK$15,000 and HK$20,000 per month."
Chau acknowledged pay was one way to attract and keep staff; instilling a culture of accountability - including a whistle-blower programme - were other key factors.