Hong Kong unions likely to ‘tread carefully’ as mandatory allegiance requirement for civil servants heralds ‘arduous’ era for city’s labour movement

Warning from Leung Chau-ting, of Federation of Civil Service Unions, comes hours after Union for New Civil Servants disbanded on Saturday night

‘The labour movement in the city’s civil service is going to be very arduous in future,’ he says

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Public sector employee groups will become more cautious as a result of the government’s oath-taking requirement, according to a veteran unionist. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 5:55pm, 17 Jan 2021Updated: 10:40pm, 17 Jan 2021

The dissolution of a civil servants’ union formed during the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong is likely to be an isolated incident but various public sector employee groups will become more cautious as a result of the government’s oath-taking requirement, according to a veteran unionist.

The warning from Leung Chau-ting came hours after the Union for New Civil Servants announced its disbandment on Saturday night in response to the requirement for the 180,000-strong workforce to pledge allegiance to the city and its mini-constitution.

Leung, chief executive of the Federation of Civil Service Unions, said the approach adopted by the union might have given the administration the impression it was going against the government, thus placing itself at “great risk”.

“Even though the disbandment may only be an exceptional case, it is going to be very arduous for the labour movement in the city’s civil service in future,” he said, referring to the requirements set out by the oath. “Union leaders will have to be extra careful in every step.”

What can the unions do when there are so many limitations? They can only echo the government as it’s impossible for them to argue otherwise

Leung Chau-ting, chief executive, Federation of Civil Service Unions

But writing on his blog on Sunday, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung reiterated the importance of the oath.