Newsletter February 2023

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In this newsletter: 2nd year Carol Ng spent behind bars | UN ICESCR Review on Hong Kong | 2nd trade union registration revoked

2nd year Carol Ng spent behind bars

Carol Ng, the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, has already spent two years behind bars before trial. She was detained on 28 February 2021 on a subversion charge under the Hong Kong National Security Law. The Hong Kong court denied her bail application on 20 December 2021, citing her international influence from her trade union work.

Experts at the UN have raised concerns about Ng’s lengthy detention without trial. Michael Windfuhr, the vice-chair of the UN Committee on Social, Economic, and Social Rights, stated that without a stronger argument from the authorities, the decision to deny Ng’s bail application appears “very arbitrary.”

Hong Kong’s largest national security trial of 47 democrats began this month

Carol Ng and the former chairperson of the Hospital Authority Employee Alliance, Winnie Yu, were among the 47 Hong Kong democrats charged with subversion under the Hong Kong National Security Law.

Winnie Yu and Carol Ng, along with 45 other defendants, are charged with subversion in relation to their participation in an unofficial primary election held in 2020 to select pro-democracy candidates for the Legislative Council election.

The trial is expected to last for 90 days without a jury. 16 of the 47 defendants, including Winnie Yu, pleaded not guilty. Carol Ng, along with the other 30 defendants, intends to plead guilty in this politically engineered trial. The court will pass sentence on her after this trial.

The prosecution has already finished its opening statement. We’ll be following developments closely and keeping you up-to-date. Stay tuned for more analysis and ways to get involved in supporting democracy and labour rights in Hong Kong.

UN advocacy

The UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) finished a review session on the implementation of ESCR in Hong Kong on 15 and 16 February.

HKLRM’s Executive Director Christopher Mung spoke at the review session as a civil society organisation representative. He highlighted the five areas in which the Hong Kong authorities crack down on Hong Kong trade unions, including surveillance over trade unions and their members and detention of trade unionists. He refuted the authorities’ arguments that the trade unions disbanded at their own will.

Latest in Hong Kong labour rights

HK White Collar Connect Union became the second trade union de-registered by the HK government

One more trade union was de-registered, as Hong Kong officials worked hard to whitewash their human rights record before the UN committee. This was the second trade union to get its registration revoked since the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists.

The deregistration came one day after Assistant Commissioner of the Hong Kong Labour Department Cheung Hoi-Shan claimed that “Trade union rights in Hong Kong are strong and intact as ever” before the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

According to figures from the Hong Kong Labour Department, 176 trade unions have been disbanded from 2021 to 2022.

Hong Kong court awards the largest compensation to a victim of domestic worker abuse

In February, the Hong Kong court ruled that Kartika Puspitasari, a victim of domestic worker abuse, would receive HKD 1.2186 million in compensation, officially ending a ten-year legal battle. This is the largest compensation awarded in such cases to date.

Domestic worker abuse in Hong Kong is rooted in policies that leave them vulnerable to workplace exploitation and violence. In the latest UN ESCR review on Hong Kong, expert members have called on Hong Kong officials to explain what policies they will implement to prevent Hong Kong from becoming the “city of slaves” again.

New series: Know your rights

This month, we have rolled out a new series, “Know Your Rights”, on our social media channels. We kicked off the series by discussing recent news on casual workers’ rights in Hong Kong.

At HKLRM, we believe public education is vital, and we’re passionate about keeping workers in Hong Kong informed. More content is coming out soon, so make sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date.

February has been a busy month for us at HKLRM! We’re making great strides in promoting #HKLabourRights, and we’d love your help in spreading the word. Please forward this email and follow us on  TwitterInstagram and Facebook for more updates.

We always welcome your feedback and suggestions, so don’t hesitate to drop us a comment. Together, we can make a difference !

In solidarity,
Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor

2023年2月電子通訊

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今期內容﹕吳敏兒未判先囚兩年;經社文委員會審議進展;再有工會被取消註冊

未判先囚兩年 吳敏兒保釋被拒引起聯合國關注

前職工盟主席吳敏兒在2021年2月28日起被囚,至今已未判先囚兩年。法庭早前以吳敏兒過往曾參與國際工會工作為由,拒絕她的保釋申請。聯合國經濟、社會及文化權利委員會副主席Michael Windfuhr本月審議香港實施公約的情況時,亦有提到吳敏兒的情況,指出若法庭不闡明當中理據,拒批保釋申請是十分任意的決定。

泛民初選47人案開審 余慧明拒認罪

Photo: Mingpao

47人泛民初選案本月開審,預計審訊90日。此案由國安法指定法官審理,並且不設陪審團。前醫管局員工陣線主席余慧明表明不認罪,法庭現正處理她及其他15名不認罪的被告審訊,目前控方已完成開案陳辭。

面對一場被政治操縱的審訊,同一案件的吳敏兒與其餘30名被告早前已表示擬承認控罪,他們將於本案審結後正式答辯及判刑。 同吳敏兒本月亦有出席觀察審訊進度。 

聯合國倡議

香港勞權監察總幹事蒙兆達日前前往日內瓦出席聯合國就香港履行 《經濟、社會及文化權利國際公約》的審議諮詢,並以民間團體代表身份發言,指出香港工會在港區國安法實施後遭受嚴厲打壓,並向委員提出五大重點,包括工會在地受到的政治監控,工運人士被囚禁,同時反駁官方指工會自行解散。

委員會在2月15至16日一連兩日審議香港情況,發問時亦有引用我們的報告內容,包括關注香港工會解散潮及工運團體被視作危害國安遭到打壓。委員會將於三月發表審議總結報告,你可以追蹤我們的社交媒體緊貼最新消息。

香港勞權最新動態

香港白領行政及文職同行工會被撤銷註冊

早前多次收到勞工處職工會登記局警告信的香港白領行政及文職同行工會在2月17日被取消登記。這是繼香港言語治療師總工會後,第二個被當局撤銷註冊的工會。值得一提的是,香港政府本月在聯合國否認打壓工會,更聲言「香港的工會權利一如既往強健完好無損。」 但發言翌日再有工會被撤銷註冊。根據勞工處數字,2020年至2022年期間,共有176個職工會解散。 

傭工被虐事件隱藏制度不公 聯合國審議香港被轟奴隸之都

香港區域法院在2月10日判決家傭虐待案事主 Kartika Puspitasari 可獲港幣121.86萬元賠償,在法律上正式結束一宗歷時十年的申索案。此案為同類案件歷來最大筆的賠償金額。

香港不時發生的虐待家傭案,有其政策導致的結構性原因, 令外籍家傭處於脆弱位置, 更容易遭受到職場剝削及暴力傷害。聯合國就新一輪經社文公約的審議中,更有專家委員要求港府官員交代,將實施甚麼政策令香港不再成為「奴隸之都」。 

抗疫三年,香港人不會忘記﹕一班緊守專業守護我城的醫護人員

香港步入「復常」,但我們不能忘記在過去三年和香港人一起走過抗疫路的醫護人員。

2020年2月初,醫管局員工陣線 發起了香港史上最大規模的醫護罷工行動,約9000人參加,要求政府全面封關以杜絕病毒源頭,但遭時任特首林鄭月娥指是「害群之馬」,其後更先後收到職工會登記局的調查信件,面對強大的政治壓力,員工陣線於去年六月被迫宣佈解散。  

認識你的勞工權利

近日有報導指,啟勝旗下外判公司Creatone Promotion Limited 涉嫌無理向員工扣薪,包括即日申請假期要賠一日人工作代通知金,遲到三個鐘以上扣半日人工,更有「一人遲到,全體扣薪」的連坐法處分。究竟所謂「炒散」會否影響你的勞工權利?即去我們的Facebook 及 Instagram 了解更多! 我們未來會製作更多講解勞工權利的懶人包,如有建議或查詢歡迎提供。 



以上是我們過去一個月的匯報。歡迎你轉發這封電子通訊,讓更多人知道香港勞權最新動態。

最後,記得追蹤我們的Twitter,Instagram和 Facebook,緊貼我們的最新工作。謝謝! 

香港勞權監察