Over 3,000 workers took to the streets
of Hong Kong on May Day to protest for better wages. New
legislation that increases the minimum wage by $3.60 USD per hour,
but trade unionists say it is not enough.
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade
Unions organized the march to demand overtime pay, standardized work
hours, universal retirement benefits and subsidies for low-income
households. To ensure that profits are unscathed by the new minimum
wage law, the capitalist class is cutting pay for meal breaks and
days off and firing older workers. This is why the unions say the new
legislation does not go far enough.
“It’s a very rich city, but it’s
only benefiting a few,” said Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong
Federation of Restaurants. “Only the big corporations are rich now,
workers are being squeezed.”
