Port dispute with striking dockers deepens

The conflict between port operator Hongkong International Terminals (HIT) and dock workers deepened yesterday as confusion arose over who employs whom.

HIT was standing by its claim that it had nothing to do with the employment of contract workers, whose strike is now entering its second week. But unions countered with information they said showed otherwise.

This came as 500 dockers who are directly employed by HIT were planning to join the strike. That would take the number of strikers close to 1,000, or 45 per cent of staff working at the section of the port operated by HIT.

Labour minister Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said he had met managers at Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPH Trust), to which HIT belongs, yesterday. The Labour Department would start mediation in the next two days, he said.

Workers yesterday criticised HIT for evading questions on its role in contracting out employment after managing director Gerry Yim Lui-fai was found to be a director of Sakoma - a subsidiary of HPH Trust and the name written in the contractor field of some workers' staff cards.

Workers who account for more than half of the strikers said they were employed by contractor Everbest. But they understood Everbest and Sakoma to be one and the same.