Hong Kong security guards strike against longer work hours

Working day to be lengthened from 8 to 12 hours!

James Miller, chinaworker.info

Over 60 security guards employed in car parks across Hong Kong, owned by The Link Real Estate Investment Trust, took part in strike action last Friday, 26 June. The striking workers joined colleagues at a rally held at the Wong Tai Sin Shopping Centre and delivered a petition to Link management offices and government buildings.

Largely comprising middle aged, working mothers, the security guards chanted and carried banners aloft, in protest against the extension of working hours and prospect of likely job losses, should threatened changes to their working contracts be carried by their employers.

Management of the Link, which operates approximately 180 former Housing Authority car parks and shopping centre facilities, say that from mid-July, security guards working at its 180 car parks must work 12-hour shifts, rather than the current practice of 8-hour shifts. Although the security guards are to receive a tokenistic salary rise from HK$6,600 to HK$7,300 (per month), they are effectively facing a substantial reduction in their hourly rate – from $28 to $23.  

The Link REIT, which reported profits of HK$2.19 billion over 2008, took over the ownership and management of car parks and shopping centre’s, located in public housing estates, from the Housing Authority in 2004 following a so-called divestment exercise, i.e. privatisation. In 2002, the Housing Authority introduced the three-shifts-a-day roster for its security guards in order to shorten the physically exhausting 12 hour shift to an eight hour shift.  Management of the Link is now taking the retrogressive step of re-introducing the 12 hour working shift in its drive to exploit former publically owned facilities to maximize profits.

For security guards employed by the Link, the return to the 12 hour shift will mean that it will be difficult to meet the needs of their families, especially those with young children or the elderly to care for: those who escape the threat of layoff’s may still be forced to quit.