Largest Independent Trade Union to Disband

Today the CTU announced it has voted to disband

Hong Kong's largest independent trade union has voted to disband due to "political uncertainty" making it difficult for it to continue.

The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions voted 57 in favour of dissolving, eight voted against and two abstained.

At a press briefing the CTU refused to elaborate on where the "political pressure" was coming from, saying it was clear and there was no need to explain.

The CTU is an umbrella group of 75 unions

"We all feel it is politically uncertain to continue to run the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. We have no further elaborations on that. But in the meeting, all our affiliates understood the situation and made the hard decision. Of course, it is a heartbreaking decision," said CTU vice chairman Leo Tang Kin-wah.

The 2019 anti-government protests sparked a 35 percent increase in registered trade unions, though now many are scrambling to disband as quickly as possible following the implementation of the national security law.

At least 29 trade unions have disbanded since the beginning of this year.

Tang had said earlier that members of the CTU had received threats to their safety without going into further details.

Pro-Beijing media had claimed the CTU was "a foreign agent" or "colluding with foreign forces" because of its affiliation with the International Trade Union Confederation, an accusation both CTU and ITUC deny.

"To suggest there is some collusion with HKCTU or other union leaders, with the international community is to simply misunderstand the global solidarity that is part of our DNA," said Sharan Burrows, the General Secretary of the ITUC.

The CTU was active in the 2019 protests

Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch says unions in Hong Kong are becoming like those on the mainland.

"Unions will be subject to greater scrutiny if they are not already. In that way, it's very similar to the mainland where labour activism is considered threatening by authorities, where there is no independent labour activism organized," she said.

During its existence, the CTU helped construction, dock and cleaning workers get back wages withheld by employers and negotiated on their behalf for increased salaries to be in line with inflation. The CTU also has 15 training centres offering more than 200 vocational courses.

As an umbrella group made up of 75 unions, the CTU also helped fight for improved maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14, increase sick leave compensation, and help legislate the city's first minimum wage bill.

How are workers in Hong Kong going to fight for their rights now without the CTU?

 

Govt Overwhelmed by Trade Union Applications

Trade Unions were set up following the 2019 protests

 

Following the 2019 anti-government protests, people found another way to voice their disappointment with the authorities by forming trade unions.

Under Article 27 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong residents have the freedom of association, and the right and freedom to form and trade unions.

So now the Labour Department's Registry of Trade Unions is overwhelmed in processing the number of applications it has received.

Law warns trade unions must follow the law

In 2018 there were 16 applications, and then a whopping 1,578 in the first quarter of last year. Currently there are 1,140 registered trade unions as of the end of last year.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong admitted 80 percent of the 4,289 applications or 3,450 had yet to be processed.

"We can't mobilize 100 times more manpower to handle the tsunami-like increase in applications. We can only work in the middle ground by reorganizing limited internal resources," he said. "But we will step up law enforcement to ensure every union abides by the Trade Unions Ordinance."

That's because previously conventional unions proposed economic demands, but now many new groups have called for an investigation into alleged police brutality against protesters, and to defend the city's rights and freedoms.

However, some of these unions became inactive after the national security law was passed in late June last year amid fears of government retaliation.

Health workers demanded China border be shut

The labour minister noted 247 applications were withdrawn last year.

Law warned the organizations must stick to the city's laws or face the consequences. 

"When registered unions breach the Trade Unions Ordinance, the Registry of Trade Unions will follow it up and will not rule out cancelling the affiliation," he said.

Ironically this coming from someone who used to be a member of the Democratic Party who was appointed by the government.

Guess once you go to the dark side you can't go back...