Unionised dockworkers in Hong Kong are calling for industrial action if their demands for a 8.5% pay rise and a dialogue with contractors are not met, the South China Morning Post reports.
Contractors and terminal operators have until Thursday next week to respond to the demands, otherwise the Union of Hong Kong Dockers might organise a repeat of the 2013 strike that gridlocked the Kwai Tsing container terminals for 40 days.
The 2013 strike ended when dockworkers working at Hongkong International Terminals agreed on a 9.8% pay increase. Last year the dockworkers received a 6% basic salary increase and a 4.2% pay rise based on performance.
One of the dockworkers said that they do not ask for much, explaining that his current compensation for a 24-hour shift is only HKD 155 higher than what he received in 1994.
World Maritime News Staff