Coca-Cola workers win job demands
Strikers end action as company agrees to look at hours and not outsource deliveries
Some 300 striking delivery workers at the Coca-Cola factory in Sha Tin went back to work yesterday after the company's management agreed to their demands following hours of talks about work conditions overnight.
Swire Beverages (HK) Employees General Union, which is affiliated with the Confederation of Trade Unions, said it had won "an important battle".
The delivery staff walked off the job on Thursday, fearing that the company planned to contract out their work.
They also complained of long days that sometimes ran up to15 hours.
The union asked Swire Coca-Cola HK not to use contractors because doing so might affect the amount employees could earn.
It also wanted the company to find ways to reduce the workloads of delivery staff.
The union said in a statement issued yesterday: "The company has in the past refused to talk to the union or set up regular meetings with the union. But we didn't give up.
"This is a big victory in the workers' fight for collective bargaining rights.
"The company also agreed to consult the union first when there are changes in company policy."
Swire Coca-Cola HK said in a statement that it had no plans to outsource any delivery routes.
It also agreed to find ways to reduce delivery workers' hours.
"[The company] values its employees and believes they are one of the most important assets of the company," it said.
"Staff opinions and requests are highly valued and always respected by the company.
"With the goal of balancing the benefits of the company and the union, [the company] pledges to maintain open and constructive lines of communication with the union."
Swire Coca-Cola HK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Swire Beverages.
It is a leading soft drink manufacturer in Hong Kong, with a staff of about 1,400, 17 production lines, and an output of more than 64 million unit cases a year.
