Selina Cheng, Chair of the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA), has told a court that she was dismissed by The Wall Street Journal after standing in the union election, raising serious concerns about press freedom and labour rights in Hong Kong.
Cheng said that when she was hired by the newspaper, she had already disclosed her role as an executive committee member of the HKJA, Hong Kong’s main journalists’ union, and her employer raised no objections at the time. However, on the eve of the union election, her direct supervisor allegedly urged her to withdraw her candidacy, warning that the position of union chair would be “incompatible” with her role at the newspaper. Cheng also reminded her employer that participation in trade unions is protected under Hong Kong law.
Despite this, Cheng said she was formally dismissed shortly after being elected HKJA Chair. She told the court that The Wall Street Journal offered compensation only on the condition that she waive her legal rights and agree to confidentiality, which she refused. She described the dismissal as unlawful and unethical.
Cheng has initiated a private prosecution due to the HK authorities’ refusal to sue the employer, stressing that her action is not motivated by compensation. She said dismissing an employee for union participation is illegal, yet employers are rarely held accountable.
“As head of a union which defends reporters, I feel I have to take action to hold employers accountable,” Cheng told the court. “Employers must be made to understand that they cannot dismiss workers for joining a union, nor prevent anyone from doing so.”
The case, she said, goes beyond an individual employment dispute and serves as a broader warning that respect for trade union rights is a legal requirement and a fundamental safeguard for press freedom.