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Ng Kang-chung

Work at a site of the much-delayed cross-border high-speed railway project was briefly held up on Monday as about 100 carpenters went on strike over roughly HK$7 million in unpaid wages.
They said they had not been paid since last month and that repeated demands to the subcontractor were ignored.
Supported by the Confederation of Trade Unions, they refused to work and staged a sit-in outside the site in Hoi Wang Road, Yau Ma Tei, waving placards that read “All Sweat No Pay”.
Hong Kong transport minister defends high-speed rail plans
One affected worker, Mr Man, claimed he was owed more than HK$40,000.
“We are fed up. The subcontractor had promised to pay us last week, but they ate their words,” he said.
The protest was largely peaceful and the strike was called off in the afternoon after a deal was struck between the workers, unionists, the main contractor Gammon-Leighton Joint Venture and subcontractor Temmex Engineering. The main contractor agreed to pay the workers on Thursday.
The work affected by the strike is under a HK$2.88 billion project to build a section of the tunnel approaching the future railway terminus in West Kowloon. Gammon-Leighton won the contract in 2010 and it had originally been scheduled for completion last year.
Panel probing high-speed rail project ‘not looking for individuals to be penalised’
The daily rate of a formwork carpenter can be up to HK$2,000.
Fredrik Fan Cheung-fung, of the confederation, said: “We heard that the subcontractor has some financial problem so it can’t afford to pay the workers in time. We believe the main contractor should monitor its subcontractors closer. As the main contractor, it can’t contract out its responsibility.”
He said the workers were satisfied with the deal and returned to work in the afternoon. He did not expect the half-day strike to further delay the project greatly.
Neither the main contractor nor subcontractor responded to requests for comments.
The 26km Hong Kong section of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guangzhou Express Rail Link has been hit by delays and cost overrunning. In March, the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee approved an extra HK$19.6 billion to complete the project, which under the original plan should have been completed in 2015.
Delayed projects - from bridge to high-speed rail - a blot on Hong Kong-mainland China cooperation
The latest cost is estimated at HK$84.4 billion and the target date for completion is the third quarter of 2018.
A row has also been brewing over a plan to have immigration officials from both mainland China and clearing travellers at a joint checkpoint in the West Kowloon terminus. Pan-democrat lawmakers oppose such an arrangement.


Down tools: Hong Kong workers on delayed cross-border railway strike over unpaid wages

Workers wave placards declaring “All Sweat No Pay”. Photo: Sam Tsang

News

Hong Kong

100 carpenters claim they are owed about HK$7 million; men go back on job after main contractor agrees to pay them on Thursday
