In this issue: The State of Labour in Hong Kong 2025 | International Solidarity | Event| HK Labour Rights Newsflash
The State of Labour in Hong Kong 2025: HK Labour Rights in Structure Collapse
Our latest report reveals a structural collapse of labour rights in Hong Kong. Union membership has plummeted by 160,000 under political pressure, while draconian administrative controls—including warrant-free surveillance and harassment—stifle independent voices. Coupled with a massive influx of 120,000 migrant workers with no protection, the bargaining power of workers is being systematically hollowed out. How are labour rights surviving this dual political and economic squeeze? Read our 2025 annual report for the full analysis.
International Solidarity
Cross-Border Solidarity: Voices of Exiled Unionists
This May Day, exiled activists share the stories of comrades imprisoned in Hong Kong, Belarus, and Vietnam for defending workers’ dignity.
HK: Christopher Mung recounts how Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were jailed for defending truth.
Belarus: Lizaveta Merliak exposes the 70+ unionists labelled “terrorists” as bargaining chips.
Vietnam: Nguyen Tien Trung highlights the critical health of activist Hoang Duc Binh, serving 14 years.
Fighting for democracy and labour rights is not a crime.
Event
Protest in London Calls for Closure of HKETO Amid Repression Concerns
Protesters gathered outside Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London on 4 April, urging the UK government to shut it down over alleged transnational repression. The calls follow a UK court case suggesting the office monitored Hong Kong diaspora activists in the UK. Christopher Mung of Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor said it had become “a tool for intimidation, surveillance and silencing”. Campaigners argue it no longer serves its trade role, and are pushing for a review of its status, alongside a parliamentary petition to challenge its presence in the UK.
HK Labour Rights Newsflash
- Hong Kong man jailed for 1 year over seditious remarks on Facebook <Read more>
- Hong Kong Press Union Lambasted by Security Bureau Following Reports of Journalist Stalking <Read more>
- Hong Kong bookseller fined HK$32K over informal Spanish interest class <Read more>
- All Hong Kong restaurant licences to have national security clauses by September <Read more>
- The Shrinking Space for Labour: Hong Kong’s Trade Unions Face “Chilling Effect” Under National Security Overhaul <Read more>