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Hong Kong dockworkers call for solidarity

Open Letter from Hong Kong Federaton of Trade Unions

Tuesday 9 April 2013

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The Hong Kong dockworkers’ strike enters its thirteen days today (April 9), and public donation reached 3.5 million HK$. Meanwhile according to the CTU, the strike now is supported by 65 dockworkers’ unions around the world. The management continues to refuse talking to the union.

Dear Friends,

Hundreds of members of the Union of Hong Kong Dockers (UHKD) are striking to demand pay rise while their wages have not risen in the past fifteen years. Moreover they are also fighting for the collective bargaining right to negotiate with the management. We ask you to send protest letters to the Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT) as well as its parent companies Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPHT), Hutchison Whampoa Ltd (HWL) and the Hong Kong SAR government to support the dockers. For this purpose we attach a template which you can adapt and send, with a copy to the HKCTU (hkctu@hkctu.org.hk).

On March 28, 2013, the Union of Hong Kong Dockers (UHKD), an affiliate of HKCTU staged a strike at Hong Kong Container Terminal No. 6 in Kwai Chung to demand an overdue pay raise and an end to their over-exploitation. More than 400 are still on strike now demanding for hourly pay rise by HK$12.5 (USD1.61).

The wages of the dock workers, who are mostly hired by the sub-contractors, have not risen in the past fifteen years. They have been facing health and safety risks daily, working extremely long shifts, and not being given meals and toilet breaks. The terminal is owned by HIT,and it is subsidiary of HPHT and HWL. We urge HIT, HPHT and HWL to respect their demands and their right to strike, association and collective bargaining.

We thank you for your solidarity,

General Secretary

Lee Chuek-yan

Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions

Please send the protest letter to the following correspondences:

Mr. Gerry Yim Lui Fai

Managing Director

Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT)

Terminal 4, Container Port Road South

Hong Kong

Email:com.cst@hit.com.hk

Fax: (852) 2619 7315

Copied

Mr. Fok Kin Ning,

Chair, Hutchison Port Holdings Trust; (HPHT)

150 Beach Road,

17-03 Gateway West,

Singapore

Email:info@hphtrust.com (Investors’ Relation)

Fax: (65) 65361-1360 (Registered Office, 50 Raffles Place, 32-01 Singapore Land Tower)

and

Mr. Lee Ka Shing,

Chair, Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL)

22nd Floor

Hutchison House

10 Harcourt Road

Hong Kong

Email:info@hwl.com.hk

Fax: (852) 2128 1705

and

Mr Matthew Cheung Kin Chung,

Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Hong Kong SAR Government

Email: slwo@lwb.gov.hk

Fax: (852) 2523 1973