Hongkong Post says move to hire outsourced and retired workers is to help reduce pressure on staff
- Postal employees’ union fears outsourcing, multitasking might become norm in future, paving way for fewer recruitments in permanent posts
- But operator says it was an attempt to relieve employees of their workload after Audit Commission slammed it for asking staff to work overtime
Hong Kong’s postal service has rejected criticism from staff over its recent move to hire outsourced and retired workers, saying it did so to act on an earlier damning report from the audit watchdog on massive overtime payments.
In a Sunday press briefing, the Union of Hong Kong Post Office Employees said Hongkong Post had recently hired some outsourced workers for its airport centre, while those originally employed there had been relocated.
The union also said Hongkong Post had hired about 30 retired postmen to help its 2,400 existing staff with the delivery of letters. Some other contractual back-office staff – not the permanent employees who are paid more – have been asked to help collect letters from postboxes across the city, and bring them back to post offices before they can be delivered.
The union feared that the outsourcing, re-employment of retired staff, and the practice of asking back-office workers to help out with other duties would become the norm in future, and that Hongkong Post might eventually hire fewer permanent staff to reduce costs.
Union chairman Cheuk Son was also worried about the possible spread of the coronavirus among postal workers after an employee in North district was feared infected.
“Post offices are packed with people. If one person is infected, it [the virus] can easily be spread to others,” he said.
