ITUC Welcomes End Of Bar-Bender Strike

INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ITUC)

ITUC OnLine...
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Hong Kong: 36-day historical bar-bender strike ended on September 12 after
settling a deal with contractors

Brussels, 14 September 2007 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC welcomed the end of the
bar-bender strike on 12 September after settling a deal of HKD 860 for an
8-hour day. ³The wage increase is insignificant compared to the initial
worker demand of HKD 950², declared Lee Cheuk Yan, General Secretary of the
Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, ³but the workers agreed that 8-hour
day was the most important issue and thus their representatives settled the
deal with the employer association who also agreed to open negotiation again
next March over the issue of wage increases² he added.

According to Lee Cheuk Yan, a meeting will be held this Sunday, February 16
with the bar-benders to discuss formation of a democratic trade union.

The Hong Kong workers have been on strike since 6 August over low pay and in
favour of an 8-hour working day. This is the longest running strike in
recent Hong Kong history. Despite the length of the strike the workers
remained strong and garnered massive public support in a usually neutral
Hong Kong. Most workers in the industry received a maximum of only 600 HK$
per day, about half of the applicable pay rate of 10 years ago.

³Despite their refusal to work directly with the HKCTU, the Contractors in
the end at least gave some ground to the worker¹s demands and ultimately
accepted the strength of the demands and the considerable public support for
the strike², declared Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary; the 8-hour working
day is a significant victory for the workers. ³The formation of a new and
democratic trade union for the bar-benders will be the next step in the
fight for the workers¹ rights in Hong Kong².

The settlement is the first genuine industry wide collective agreement in
Hong Kong.

The ITUC wrote directly
(http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ITUC_letter_to_HKSAR_Government_re_Bar_Bend
ing_Workers_-_24_August_2007.pdf) to the Hong Kong SAR Government on 24
August to urge them to support negotiations.

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