聯署：反對無盡剝削 還我勞動尊嚴 聲援葵青貨櫃碼頭罷工工友

三月二十八日，200多名在葵青貨櫃碼頭工作、為和黃港口集團旗下的香港國際貨櫃碼頭付出血汗的工人，無懼惡劣天氣，站出來參與罷工，爭取他們應有的勞動成果。生產不能只靠資本，沒有勞動者付出勞力，資本家甚麼財富也得不到。在罷工的工友身上，我們看到勞動者的尊嚴——他們才是生產真正的主人，對於自己出賣的勞動力，理直氣壯地要求相應的回報。

 

才不過幾日前，李嘉誠在長和系業績會上，向社會大眾炫耀財富，卻絕口不提自己的所謂成就，都是靠剝削工人所得來的。他以為自己給碼頭工人工作機會，養活了工友一家老小，誰不知其實是工人以自己的時間、精神、健康成全了他暗黑的碼頭帝國。如果不是工友們冒著喪失生計的風險站出來，我們永遠不會知道碼頭裡的工作條件是何其差劣：連續24小時工作、沒有固定假期、沒有正式午飯時間、多年來沒有加薪、職安健完全欠奉……

 

正所謂「欠債還錢，天公地道」，工友們是靠出賣勞力來換取生計的，當他們的勞動所得不足以補償勞動力損失，罷工作為拒絕繼續供應勞動力的姿態，癱瘓生產，要求更合理的報酬絕對理所當然。然而，即使愈來愈多的工友拉起警戒線，碼頭公司仍然無視他們的權益和訴求，更公開表示這些為碼頭運作賣命，薪酬17年來卻不升反跌的工人與他們無關，同時將碼頭無法運作之責任諉過於工人。

 

參與罷工的工友或許來自不同崗位、受僱於不同的外判商，但無法否認的是，他們同樣服務於和黃旗下的香港國際貨櫃碼頭公司，處境和利益都是一致的。即使碼頭公司把業務分判給多少外判商，也不會抹殺這些管理層靠掠奪工友勞動成果維生的事實。對於碼頭公司一而再，再而三將責任推卸予外判商，我們感到非常憤怒。

 

在現時這個不公平的稅制下，李嘉誠每年賺取巨額股息，卻毋須交稅以回饋社會，已經佔盡了全港市民的便宜。當他的勢力如此龐大，讓幾乎全港市民都要為他打工的時候，今天受苦的是碼頭工人，難保明天不是我們。作為勞動人民的一份子，我們都是唇亡齒寒。李嘉誠不僅欠碼頭工人一個公道，更欠全港市民一個交代。

 

我們現向李嘉誠、和黃港口集團及香港國際貨櫃碼頭公司嚴正提出以下要求：

 

一、就香港國際貨櫃碼頭公司董事總經理嚴磊輝昨日在記者會上，與罷工工人劃清界線的言論公開道歉；

二、停止聘用無持有的平安咭的臨時工人進入碼頭工作；

三、盡快與真正代表工人的工會代表展開薪酬談判；

四、取消外判制度，直接聘用所有碼頭工人；

五、改善碼頭職安健設施，制訂安全合理工作守則。

 

發起團體

左翼21

 

Stop Exploitation NOW – Dignity to Our Workers! In support of Hongkong International Terminals Workers’ Strike

 

Stop Exploitation NOW – Dignity to Our Workers!

In support of Hongkong International Terminals Workers’ Strike

 

On March 28th, more than 200 waterfront workers at the Hongkong International Terminals Ltd (HIT) owned by Hutchison Port Holdings braved terrible weather conditions and stood up to take industrial action in a courageous bid to demand rightful compensation for their labour. Capital cannot produce on its own; without the hard and often painful efforts of those who labour, none of the wealth that capitalists now boast would be possible. In each and every striking worker, we see the dignity of labour – they are the real owners of production, and all they ask for is the just treatment and reciprocation that they deserve.

 

Only a few days ago at a press conference to announce his company’s annual earnings, Li Ka-shing gave the public a flamboyant display of his wealth. Yet never did he mention that his so-called success has been built on the exploitation of workers. Li happily believes that he has given waterfront workers a job and a cheque to feed their families, but the contrary is true – with their time, labour, mental and physical health, his workers have made an achievement out of his dark and often oppressive Terminals. If these workers had not risked their livelihoods and stood up today in defiance of injustice, we would never have known about the terrible working conditions and treatment in Li’s HIT empire: 24-hour work shifts without breaks, no fixed holidays, no formal meal periods, years without a single pay rise, a total disregard for occupational safety and health hazards…

 

To repay what is indebted is only fair; these workers have sold their labour in return for their basic livelihoods. When the meager compensation that they receive is far from enough to repay the significant costs of their labour, striking and disrupting production is a perfectly justified way to refuse continued supply of labour and demand just compensation. Yet even as more and more workers have joined their ranks, the company has continued to ignore their rights and demands, and even openly claimed that, despite having no rise but only decline in pay for 17 years, these waterfront workers are not the company’s responsibility. At the same time, the company has condemned the industrial action as ‘irresponsible behaviour’ that has disrupted the operations of the Terminals.

 

The workers on strike are from numerous parts of the waterfront, with different positions and employed by different contractors. But what is undeniable is that they all serve the Hongkong International Terminals Ltd that is under Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, and that their situation and interests are aligned. Regardless of how many contractors the HIT has hired to outsource labour, the fact that those at the management level are making their living by exploiting the labour of these waterfront workers is undisputable. We are outraged at HIT’s strategy of shifting what should be their responsibility to the contractors.

 

Under the current unjust tax system, Li Ka-shing is able to earn huge profits from dividends every year, and yet he is not required to contribute back to the society by paying taxes. Li has already taken every advantage at the expense of the people of Hong Kong. When he has come to monopolize economic and political power to the extent that the majority of Hong Kong is working for him, the suffering of the waterfront workers today is no different from the exploitation of every one of us tomorrow. As members of the laboring population, our fates are tied together. Li Ka-shing does not only owe the waterfront workers just and fair treatment, he owes the people of Hong Kong an explanation.

 

We demand that Li Ka-shing, Hutchison Port Holdings and Hongkong International Terminals Ltd immediately fulfill the following:

1. Publicly apologize for the Managing Director of HIT, Gerry Yim’s attempt to disassociate the company with the waterfront workers at yesterday’s press conference
2. Stop employing temporary workers without a ‘safe card’
3. Conduct salary negotiations with union leaders who truly represent the workers
4. Eliminate outsourcing and directly employ all waterfront workers
5. Improve facilities related to occupational safety and workers’ health, and establish a reasonable workplace safety code.

 

Left 21

March 29th, 2013

 

Co-signed by:

Alliance for defending the Grassroots Housing Rights

Grassroot Development Centre

Alliance for defending the Grassroots Housing Rights

Grassroot Development Centre

Hong Kong Federation of Students

Retail, Commerce and Clothing Industries General Union

YTalk

The Association for the Advancement of Feminism

HK No MPF Frontline

Hong Kong Women Workers’ Association

Cleaning Workers Union

Excecutive Committee, Student Union of Lingnan University of Hong Kong

Excecutive Committee, Student Union of Chinese University of Hong Kong

Excecutive Committee, Student Union of Hong Kong Baptist University

Excecutive Committee, Student Union of Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Executive Committee, Student Union of Hong Kong Institue of Education

Executive Committee, Student Union Lingnan University

Applied Social Studies Society Executive Committee,City University of Hong Kong Students’ Union

Hong Kong Association of Women Social Workers

UK-HK Student Solidarity

Civil Human Rights Front

Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior

Friends of Conscience

Women Coalition of HKSAR

Civic Act-Up

Neo Democrats

Office of Gary Fan

League of HK Freedom

Christian Social Workers

Hong Kong Christian Institute

Kendo Club, Student Union of City University of Hong Kong

Women’s Cooperative, Industrial Relations Institute

Office of LAM Siu-Chung and LAM Wing-yin, Democratic Party

Community Service Center of Cyrus Chan, CHUNG En-shiuh, TSE Ching-fung, CHAN Ping Hang

The Women’s Association of Tseung Kwan O Community

Federation of Pubic Housing Residents in Tseung Kwan O

Worker’s Power

Youth Act-Up

Autonomous 8A (HKFS Social Movement Resource Centre)

HKUST Concern Group for Out-sourcing

Labour Education and Service Netsork

League of Social Democrats

PIME Social Concern Group

Grassroot Group of Christians in Kwai Chung Estate

Grassroot Culture Center

Right of Abode University

New School for Democracy

Office of Longhair

April Fifth Action

Frontline Welfare Employees’ Union

Grass Media

Executive Committee of HKCC Social Work Society

Labour Rights Commune

No Flat Slave

Justice and Peace Commission of the HK Catholic Diocese

Asia Monitor Resource Centre, Hong Kong

Sedane Labour Resource Centre (LIPS), Indonesia

Migrant Care, Indonesia

VOICE, Bangladesh

Community Development Alliance

Critical Pedagogy Goup

Youth concerning welfare group

Labour Action China

Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)

Hong Kong Policy Viwers

Progressive Social Work

Progressive Social Work Network

All Nepal Peasant Federation, Nepal

CUHK, New Asia College Student Union

Chu Hai College Of Higher Education Student Social Concern Group

Executive Committee, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Student Union

CUHK Student Press

CUHK Grassroots Concern Group

CUHK Queer Fellowship

National Garment Workers Federation, Bangladesh

Envinonics Trust, India

Christian Student Movement

The Network for Transformative Social Protection in Asia

National Free Trade Union – Sri Lanka

Progress Union – Sri Lanka

Workers Assistance Center, Philippines

Executive Committee, CUHK Social Work Society

Executive Committee, Hang Seng Management College Students’ Union

Staff Association, CUHK Divinity School of Chung Chi College Student Union

Executive Committee, Hong Kong University Student Union

Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), Cambodia

Dignity International ( global ngo)

Pax Romana-ICMICA Asia ( regional chapter of global NGO)

The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)

The Filipino Women’s Organization in Quebec – Organisation des Femmes Philippins du Québec.

National Centre of Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (DPN SBMI), Jakarta, Indonesia cosign

Think Centre, Singapore

Korean House for International Solidarity

Institute for National and Democracy Studies (INDIES)

LRC-KJHAM (Legal Resources Center for Gender Justice and Human Right)

Indonesian migrant workers union – imwu hk

League of Indonesian migrant workers ( LiPMI)

Local Action Links, Thailand

香港家務助理總工會

亞洲家務工工會聯會

全球化監察

恒生管理學院學生會幹事會

Asia Floor Wage Alliance

Peace and Peace Institute of Cambodia

Youth for Peace, Cambodia

Peace Institute of Cambodia

HKPU Hong Kong Community College Social Concern Group

Executive Committee, Chinese University of Hong Kong Student Union Sociology Society

Shunning Rroad Renewal Concern Group

H15 Concern Group

V-artivist

GSBI ( Gabungan Serikat Buruh Independen/federation of Independent Trade Union) Indonesia

Australia Asia Worker Links

24th Executive Committee of Shaw College Student Union

JJJ Association

Interfaith Cooperation Forum

United Indonesians Against Overcharging (PILAR-HK)

Association of Indonesians Migrant Workers in Hong Kong (ATKI-HK)

the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights

Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com

United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK)

Filipino Migrant Workers’ Union (FMWU)

MIGRANTE Hong Kong

Gabriela Hong Kong

BAYAN Hong Kong

Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body (AMCB)

International Migrants Alliance (IMA) – Hong Kong & Macau Chapter

International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) – Hong Kong & Macau Chapter

Centre for Workers Education, New Delhi

Community Peace-building Network(CPN) in Cambodia

WH4C (Workers Hub For Change)

MADPET(Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)

Youth Labor Union 95