Hong Kong public hospital support staff put protest on hold after management makes a healthier pay rise offer
- Hospital Authority offers 8 per cent increase for the city’s 25,000 public hospital support staff
- New proposal comes after weeks of back-and-forth salary negotiations
A protest planned by support staff at Hong Kong’s public hospitals was put on hold on Wednesday after health care officials improved their pay rise proposal.
The move to suspend the sit-in scheduled for Thursday came after talks between workers and the Hospital Authority, the body that manages all of Hong Kong’s public hospital, produced results after weeks of back-and-forth salary negotiations.
Fung Kuen-kwok, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Medical and Health Care Staff General Union, said the workers would now consider the authority’s latest offer – an 8 per cent salary increase for all the estimated 25,000 public hospital support staff in the city.
“The chief executive responded to some of the union’s requests, including pay rises for both newcomers and existing staff,” Fung said. “We need meet with our members to see whether we should accept the proposal.”
Support staff make a huge contribution in medical care. The pay rise is recognition of them.
The union had requested a pay rise of at least 12 per cent for support staff at all levels, after the authority last month said they could offer a 9 to 14 per cent rise for new entry-level support staff.