Hong Kong lifeguards turn up the heat in pay dispute, with 500 set to strike
Union escalates its campaign a month after three beaches closed when lifesavers walked off the job
Swimmers looking to beat the heat with a dip at the city’s public pools and beaches this Sunday may be disappointed as hundreds of lifeguards look set to strike for the day to demand better pay and treatment from the government.
The action comes only one month since three beaches were forced to close for the Tuen Ng Festival when 47 lifeguards walked off the job. Their union is now escalating its campaign after fruitless talks with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department last week.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong and Kowloon Lifeguards’ Union, Alex Kwok Siu-kit, said it was hard to estimate how many beaches and public pools would be affected this time but warned of pool closures in Kwai Shing, Lai Chi Kok and Sha Tin.
When pressed for a concrete figure, he said around 500 lifeguards were expected to join the protest, accounting for roughly a quarter of the 2,100 lifesavers that the government employs.
Depending on the size of the premises, the number of lifeguards assigned to each facility varies greatly.
While smaller beaches such as Clear Water Bay First and Silverstrand only require 10 lifeguards a day, larger ones such as Stanley and Butterfly Beach in Tuen Mun need as many as 30.
Major pools, such as the one in Kowloon Park, have 72 lifeguards rostered on each day.
Kwok revealed that no representatives from the department had made contact with them since their previous meeting last Thursday.
One of the union’s demands was to set up an independent pay grade for public lifeguards, who are currently categorised as “artisans”, denoting non-professional status.
Kwok said the poor pay and lengthy training time for lifeguards had discouraged young swimmers from entering the industry, saying there were over 200 vacancies to be filled at the moment.
The department stressed that a review of the grade structure would only be conducted if there were “proven and persistent recruitment and retention difficulties; or if there are fundamental changes in job nature, job complexity and level of responsibilities of the grade concerned”.
It called on the union to solve the problem in a “rational” manner and with the public’s interests in mind, adding it may arrange part-time lifeguards from the Hong Kong Life Saving Society and the Auxilliary Medical Service to keep as many facilities running as possible.
Kwok dismissed such a move as irresponsible, saying the “outsiders” had not undergone on-site training and would hamper rescue efficiency.
He apologised to the public for any inconvenience caused and asked for their understanding as it was a matter that concerned everyone’s safety.
