Hong Kong Dockworkers Strike is Over!
The 40 day strike by the dockworkers slowing worldwide delivery on the Kwai Chung cargo terminals in Hong Kong has come to an finish.
Within the final weblog I wrote concerning the strike drawing close to an finish, I regarded on the weakening place of the strikers. Initially, they have been in search of a pay rise between 17 and 23 p.c. Because it didn’t look possible they have been going to attain that sort of elevate, Lee Cheuk-yan, the final secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Commerce Unions stated the topic was open to dialogue however the dockworkers nonetheless needed a pay proportion rise within the double digits.
I requested the pure query. Would they settle for a suggestion of solely a ten p.c pay rise at that time?
The reply turned out to be sure. The truth is, they even settled a little bit under that 10 p.c mark.
On Friday, they have been provided a elevate of solely 9.8 p.c. That turned out to be sufficient and as of Saturday, the strike is over.
The Wall Road Journal reported:
“We predict that it’s a victory for the employees to have efficiently secured a pay rise with fairly an excellent proportion improve—and that after our strike we acquired one thing—and in addition the union is strengthened,” Confederation of Commerce Unions organizing coordinator Chan Chiu-wai stated on Monday.[1]
However both the strikers authentic calls for have been deliberately inflated, giving an excessive amount of room for negotiation or they merely weren’t capable of come near getting the sort of outcomes they’d hoped for.
The South China Morning Submit known as everybody a loser after the tip of the Hong Kong dock strike.
They highlighted not solely the employees getting lower than half of the sort of pay rise they have been searching for however the affect on the port and port operator Hongkong Worldwide Terminals (HIT).
HIT’s estimates that round 100 vessels prevented their terminals through the strike, wait time for vessels that did arrive went from the traditional wait time of three hours to 20-25 hours, and the strike price HIT thousands and thousands of Hong Kong {dollars} per day.
HIT has not stated how a lot this strike has price them, however The South China Morning Submit additionally recapped the estimates HIT made through the strike. In the course of the first week, they stated the strike was costing them HK$5 million a day after which per week later that quantity fell to HK$2.4 million a day.
By my calculations, if these numbers are correct, the strike price HIT round HK$114.2 or over 14.7 million US {dollars}.
Doubtlessly, there might be a a lot larger loss sooner or later.
Aside from financial losses, [Dr Paul Tsui Hon-yan] stated the walkout had dealt a blow to the corporate’s picture abroad. “If HIT needs to run extra ports in different international locations, the governments there might reject it due to its report,” he stated. [2]
Ultimately, this strike is nothing that HIT could have hassle surviving. Nevertheless, International Stevedoring Service (International), considered one of HIT’s contractors that had employed about 130 of the 450 putting dockworkers, didn’t. That firm shut down final week, leaving the dockworkers who have been employed by them unemployed after the strike.
The folks left with out jobs after a protracted, tough strike course of are those who’re actually damage by this.
Regardless of headlines just like the one from The South China Morning Submit that decision everybody a loser on the finish of the strike, these strikers didn’t strike in useless.
Public consciousness and help for the dockworkers was raised not simply domestically, however globally and a rise in wages and enchancment in working situations was achieved.
Whether or not it sounds honest or not, the elevate that was received via the strike will likely be for staff on the dock who went on strike and people who didn’t, which is finally an excellent factor.
And Lee Cheuk-yan, a lawmaker with strike organiser Confederation of Commerce Unions stated “…it had made dockers and the general public higher perceive their rights. The employees would now have extra bargaining energy in future talks over pay rises.”[3]
As for these 130 dockworkers now with out jobs:
He [Lee] stated he had requested the [Labour] division to press HIT on what number of former International dockers might be employed by different contractors. He insisted that HIT should ask the contractors to supply jobs to all former International dockers. [4]
Our prayers right here at Common Cargo Administration exit to these staff and their households. Might all their jobs be restored with the higher pay and dealing situations for which they fought so laborious.
