Role: Former Chairperson, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
Charges:
- Conspiracy to commit subversion
> Denied bail on 4 Mar 2021
> pending trial (High Court. Not scheduled. Expected to be in 2023.
Bio:
Carol Ng is the former chairperson of the HKCTU and the British Airways Hong Kong International Cabin Crew Association (BAHKICCA). In 2007, with the assistance of the UK trade union Unite the Union, she filed a lawsuit in the Employment Tribunal against British Airways for discriminatory retirement policies. After six years of litigation, British Airways finally conceded before the final appeal, extending the retirement age for Hong Kong-based flight attendants to 65.
On 5 August 2019, in her capacity as the chairperson of the HKCTU, Ng responded to a spontaneous public mobilisation by helping organise a citywide political strike. The strike called for an investigation into police brutality during the 2019 pro-democracy movement and demanded genuine democracy, with an estimated 350,000 people participating.
In July 2020, Ng ran in the pro-democracy primaries representing the Hong Kong Labour Party. Her campaign platform focused on labour rights protections and strengthening the role of workers in Hong Kong’s democratic movement through trade unions. For her participation in the primaries, Ng was arrested on 6 January 2021, on charges of conspiracy to subvert state power. She has been detained since 28 February 2021. On 20 December 2021, the High Court rejected her bail appeal, citing her international influence due to her union work. Ng’s case did not go to trial until nearly two years after her arrest, and the trial itself lasted over a year.
“All the values in this society are disappearing bit by bit. If we don’t defend our only share, what will we have left?”
– Carol NG’s Facebook page description in 2020
