In this issue: French Labour Congress Stands with Lee Cheuk-yan | Protecting Platform Workers | HK Labour Rights Newsflash
An Empty Chair for Lee Cheuk-yan: French Labour Congress Stands with HK Union Leader
Attending the 51st CFDT Congress in Bordeaux alongside 3,000 delegates, Christopher Mung witnessed a powerful act of solidarity: a prominent seat left empty for Lee Cheuk-yan, the former HKCTU leader now imprisoned for over five years. Having hosted Lee in 2018, the CFDT sent an unwavering message to the world: Hong Kong’s independent labour movement is not forgotten.
Mung expressed deep gratitude to CFDT General Secretary Marylise Léon, sharing the collective hope that Lee will one day occupy that chair in person.
Beyond international support, the Congress united against pressing domestic threats, fully mobilising to defend democracy and hard-won labour rights against the rise of the far-right in France and across Europe.
Protecting Platform Workers
China Backs Landmark ILO Gig Work Convention While Continuing Crackdown on Delivery Riders
China voted in favour of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) groundbreaking new convention on platform work, promising fair pay, algorithmic transparency, and the right to organise. Yet at home, Beijing continues to stifle independent labour activism.
From the imprisonment of courier organiser Chen Guojiang to the dissolution of Hong Kong’s Riders’ Rights Concern Group, workers trying to bargain collectively face severe repression. Alarmingly, this pressure has even crossed borders: Chinese delivery riders in Australia recently reported receiving threats from Chinese police while preparing to strike.
While China backs global standards in Geneva, its millions of gig workers remain excluded from core statutory protections.
‘Half-baked’: Hong Kong’s gig worker protection law leaves thousands out in the cold
Riders hurt on the job would finally get legal compensation rights under a new government proposal — sounds like good news. But dig into the detail and the gaps are hard to ignore. Only food and parcel couriers are covered, leaving ride-hailing drivers and other platform workers out entirely. Waiting time between orders? Left to each app to decide. Extreme weather risk? Barely addressed. Injured while working two platforms at once? Nobody’s explained who pays. Even the scheme’s “no-fault” principle comes riddled with exceptions that could let platforms dodge liability altogether. Compared with Spain, the UK and the EU, Hong Kong’s proposal looks like a modest half-step, not a fix. Read on to see exactly where the loopholes lie.
HK Labour Rights Newsflash
- BBC Hong Kong dismisses five veteran journalists amid IFJ concerns over treatment of whistleblowers <Read more>
- No poverty line, same poor: 200,000 HK households live on under HK$4,000 a month <Read more>
- How HK’s Police Force Took Over Civilian Governance <Read more>
- FADWU Demands Wage and Food Allowance Hike for Domestic Workers <Read more>