In this issue: Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of the HKCTU’s Dissolution | Support Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung | Stand With Hongkong’s Political Prisoners| HK Labour Rights Newsflash
Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of the Dissolution of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
The Spark Remains: Carrying Forward the Struggle
Five years ago（3 October 2021）, under the shadow of the National Security Law, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) was forced to announce its dissolution after sustained and intense political attack. The dissolution of HKCTU undoubtedly dealt a severe blow to Hong Kong’s labour movement, but it did not mean the movement’s end. Over the past five years, Hong Kong workers have continued to rise up in defence of their survival and dignity, in actions large and small, proof that the spirit of resistance has not died.
Lee Cheuk-yan, former General Secretary of HKCTU, was recently sentenced to seven years in prison in the case against the Hong Kong Alliance. Yet imprisonment has not broken his resolve. Throughout his trial, he continued to speak the truth in the face of state power, holding firm to the belief that the pursuit of democracy is no crime. When HKCTU dissolved, he wrote from prison expressing his belief that Hong Kong’s labour movement would endure: “The road we have walked together will, in time, be walked again by others following in our footsteps.”
Founded in 1990, HKCTU was the first independent trade union confederation in Hong Kong’s history, marking workers’ determination to break free from state control and chart an autonomous path. For 31 years, HKCTU stood at the frontline of labour struggles, working to establish independent unions across industries and becoming the most steadfast and resounding voice of Hong Kong’s working people.
Reflecting on the path HKCTU has walked, we remain firm in our conviction that democracy is the soul of the labour movement, and that independence is its most fundamental value. A labour movement without democracy is a body without a soul; a union without autonomy is reduced to a puppet in the hands of those in power. Trade unions are among the most broadly grounded organisations within any democratic movement, and it was precisely for this reason that HKCTU became a primary target once the regime resolved to suppress Hong Kong people’s growing demands for democracy.
Yet we firmly believe that no amount of suppression can extinguish the spark of workers’ resistance, just as HKCTU stated in its own dissolution declaration: “Wherever there is resistance to exploitation, there the labour movement will continue to exist.” A regime may dissolve an organisation, but it cannot erase the democratic consciousness that workers have already awakened to. It may forbid workers from taking to the streets, but it can never eliminate the many forms resistance can take. Even in the most difficult of times, we have continued to see, over the past several years, workers stepping forward one after another, successfully organising collective actions against exploitation, for better conditions, and in defence of unions, achieving hard-won victories along the way.
Five years on, the regime has never relaxed its suppression of civil society; political control has only intensified. We call on the international community to continue paying attention to, and standing in solidarity with, the situation in Hong Kong, so that Hong Kong workers under attack do not have to fight alone. Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor remains committed to holding its ground, carrying the voices of Hong Kong workers to the world, until no one in Hong Kong is imprisoned for trade union activity, until Hong Kong workers regain their freedom of association and expression, and until every person in Hong Kong enjoys equal democratic rights.
Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor
Support Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung
International Trade Unions Call for Release of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung
— Add Your Name to the Global Petition
Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former chair and vice-chair of the Hong Kong Alliance, have been sentenced to seven years and seven years and three months in prison respectively, for their efforts to preserve the historical truth of the June 4th crackdown.
Ahead of the sentencing, we joined a number of diaspora civil society groups and activists in London for a rally titled “Never Forget, Freedom Lives On” outside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Representatives from participating organisations condemned the authorities’ crackdown on those fighting for democracy and freedom, and called for the immediate release of Lee and Chow.
On the day of sentencing, we issued a statement condemning the verdicts in the strongest terms. Alongside major international trade unions, we have since launched a global petition demanding that the convictions against Lee and Chow be quashed and that both be released immediately.
Please join the global petition now, and add your voice to the call for their release. (Your message will be sent to the following email addresses: [email protected])
Stand With Hongkong’s Political Priosoners
Political convictions should not become a barrier to safety
Marking the 12th anniversary of the 28 September Umbrella Movement, we joined Dandelion Solidarity CIC Director Daniel Kwok, Hongkonger asylum seeker Ng Wai-ho, and former Civil Human Rights Front Deputy Convenor Vincent Lam at 10 Downing Street to deliver a petition calling on the UK Government to review its immigration rules affecting Hongkongers with political convictions.
We are calling on the UK Government to:
- Review the rules and decision-making process for BN(O) visa applications involving political convictions;
- Consider the political context, evidence and fairness of proceedings when assessing applications involving politically motivated prosecutions in Hong Kong; and
- Establish a more effective review and appeals mechanism for visa, settlement and citizenship applications, in order to uphold the UK’s historic and moral responsibility towards Hongkongers.
We now urge you to join the UK Parliamentary petition and call on the Government to review these rules, so that a political conviction does not become another barrier for Hongkongers seeking safety in the UK.
Sign the petition. Stand with Hongkong’s political prisoners seeking protection.
HK Labour Rights Newsflash
- Hong Kong: Independent Journalist Arrested Over “Fake Information” <Read more>
- Wall Street Journal found guilty of obstructing employee’s union participation <Read more>
- DHL workers in the Philippines strike after warehouse closure raises union-busting fears <Read more>
- Jailed at 24, still not free at 30: the endless prosecution of Joshua Wong <Read more>