[210413.EN.SEA] Striking Dockers March On Legco, Vow To Camp Outside Chong Kong Centre

STRIKING Hong Kong dockers marched on the Legislative Council building in Central yesterday demanding to see Hong Kong Labour Secretary Matthew Cheung, who they accuse of failing to meet his responsibilities to settle their dispute.

After the Legco rally, the 200 dockers marched the short distance to continue their protest at the Chong Kong Centre, where the conglomerate, Hutchison Whampoa, that owns the terminal, is headquartered. The dockers vowed to camp there until they received satisfaction from the owners.

The conglomerate owns Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPH), which in turn owns Hongkong International Terminals (HIT).

The dockers union and the stevedoring contractors, who directly employ them at HIT across Victoria Harbour at Kwai Chung, were supposed to negotiate yesterday, but the workers walked out when only one of the contractors appeared.

Singapore-listed HPH, which pays the contractors to hire the dockers, is expected to suffer a profit loss because of the strike, according to a report by Citi Research, a division of Citibank.

Revenue at HIT has suffered an estimated HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) loss since dockers went on strike on March 28, said the Citi Research note.

Annual wage rate inflation could be closer to 10 per cent at HIT this year, as each of its subcontractors comes to the table to negotiate terms, versus the five per cent annual wage rate inflation built into HIT's current model, said Citi Research.

But cargo handling at the terminal has reached 86 per cent of normal efficiency, said HIT, up from 50 per cent when the strike began. The Hong Kong Shippers Council told the Hong Kong Shipping Gazette that their members still suffer delays, but the situation has improved.

Said Hong Kong Labour Secretary Matthew Cheung: "I am pretty optimistic that, provided all sides take part in the negotiation in a pragmatic manner, in a rational manner, through rational dialogue, all differences can be resolved and ironed out at the end of the day."

Source : 18.04.13.