A staff union that represents railway workers on the MTR has slammed the average 5.25 per cent pay rise offered by the MTR Corporation, demanding an 8 per cent rise instead. The Federation of Railway Trade Unions expressed fears that workers' morale would plummet and warned of possible strike action. Federation chairman Lam Shiu-wai, who met MTR Corp management yesterday, said of the offer: "It is deeply disappointing. The company is making good money but does not share the fruit with its employees." Lam said the union's demand was reasonable to keep up with inflation and to repay the workers' efforts, especially for handling increased traffic during last year's Occupy protests. He said the federation would not rule out industrial action but would consult members first. According to the MTR Corp, most of the company's 14,000 non-managerial workers would receive a pay rise of 4.75 per cent or above. Depending on performance, a worker can also receive a special bonus and other allowances equivalent to as much as 2.17 times their monthly salary. The new pay rates come into effect this month. An MTR Corp spokesman said: "We have studied the pay trends of some 20 other companies to make sure our pay can catch up with the market trend. We believe it is a reasonable adjustment." The MTR Corp made a profit of about HK$15.8 billion in 2014, up from HK$13.2 billion the previous year, according to its annual report. It recently raised fares by 4.3 per cent. Lam also criticised the company for refusing to heed their calls to revive the levels of allowances, such as overtime pay and night shift subsidies, that were cut during the economic downturn following the Sars crisis in 2003. The federation also wants the company to improve its pay scale system to allow for fairer pay levels between long-serving and newer employees. "The unfair system and low pay have made recruitment difficult, making the frontline workload heavier," said Lam, who led about 20 federation representatives in a protest outside the MTR Corp headquarters in Kowloon Bay ahead of yesterday's meeting with management. Last year the railway company also offered an average 5.25 per cent pay rise.
