Hong Kong authorities call for resolution of labour dispute at transitional housing site, as workers claim HK$600,000 owed in unpaid wages
- Eight workers chant slogans and hold up banners saying ‘sweat with no pay’ and ‘evil bosses have no conscience’ at construction site
- Housing Bureau and Labour Department reach out to NGO operator and building contractor of Yap Ting Terraced Home in Tseung Kwan O
Hong Kong authorities have called for the quick resolution of a labour dispute involving construction workers of a publicly funded transitional housing project who say they are owed three months’ wages totalling HK$600,000 (US$76,880).
Eight workers protested by chanting slogans and holding up banners that read “sweat with no pay” and “evil bosses have no conscience” at the construction site on Thursday.
“I thought government projects would be safe [from problems]. Who knew they would stop paying our salaries at the end of the project? I don’t even know if they will pay us in future,” a labourer surnamed Chan told reporters at the entrance of Yap Ting Terraced Home in Tseung Kwan O.
Chan said he and his colleagues had started at the construction site last November, but had stopped receiving their salaries in May.
At least eight bar benders were owed up to a total of HK$600,000, covering three months of wages, according to another worker at the site.
Yap Ting Terraced Home is a two-block transitional housing project operated by Christian Family Service Centre, an NGO, with China Harbour Engineering Company as contractor.
Construction work began last June and the project is expected to provide an estimated 413 flats for more than 1,000 residents.
Hours after the rare protest, the Housing Bureau said the government instructed the relevant organisation and contractor to settle the matter as soon as possible.
“The Housing Bureau does not tolerate principal contractors or subcontractors delaying workers’ salary payments,” a spokeswoman said. “[We] will continue to monitor and follow up on the incident closely.”
The Labour Department said it had contacted the principal contractor over the wage issue, explaining affected workers should speak to the offices of the Labour Relations Division for help.
The Christian Family Service Centre said it had fulfilled its contractual duties to supervise construction progress and paid the relevant fees to its principal contractor on time.
“We instructed [China Harbour Engineering Company] to handle and resolve the matter … as soon as possible to protect workers’ rights and avoid any impact on construction,” a spokeswoman for the NGO said.
Under the transitional housing policy, the government disburses funding to NGOs to construct and manage the short-term housing, as well as select low-income tenants.
The Christian Family Service Centre received HK$227.15 million from the government to build Yap Ting Terraced Home.
The Post has contacted Zhen Hua Engineering Company, the local representative of principal contractor China Harbour Engineering Company, for comment.
China Harbour Engineering Company is a Beijing-based subsidiary of state-owned China Communications Construction Group based in mainland China.
According to its website, the company was involved in construction projects across the world, such as the Hamad Port in Qatar and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
In 2021, about 50 labourers blocked a section of Pok Fu Lam Road to vent their grievances over a contractual dispute involving a reconstruction project at the nearby Queen Mary Hospital.
