National security law: unions and student group threaten to strike as ‘warning shot’ to Beijing
- Seeking a strong mandate, organisers are hoping 70,000 people will turn out for a vote on the proposed action
- Move comes as councillors from 17 districts say law will ‘destroy’ the ‘one country, two systems’ principle
Workers and students are threatening to strike as a “warning shot” against Beijing’s proposed national security law for Hong Kong, if supported by tens of thousands of participants.
Labour unions, including one for civil servants, and a student group are organising the action, which will go ahead if 70,000 people take part in a vote next week and the move is approved by a 60 per cent majority.
The proposal comes as 17 of 18 district councils passed a motion calling for the new law to be withdrawn, arguing it pushed the city towards an “irrecoverable abyss”.
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Workers across all types of businesses are encouraged to join the unions and vote on the planned three-day disruption, according to Alex Tsui Hau-lai, chairman of Hong Kong Hotel Employees Union.
“The draconian law will devastate the local economy,” Tsui said. “Our workers are the eventual victims of Chinese political agenda. We will need a strong mandate to stage large-scale actions and present our collective dissent over the law to the international community.”
Beijing last month unveiled the legislation outlawing acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city’s affairs. The National People’s Congress approved a resolution for its standing committee to draft the law, which could be done as early as this month, before it is inserted into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution and takes force through promulgation soon after. While the administration, pro-government parties and several tycoons say the law will help restore stability in the city after a year of social unrest, the opposition camp and its backers fear fundamental freedoms will be lost.
The strike is being supported by 23 pro-democracy labour unions, with more than 10,000 members spanning 20 industries, including aviation, transport, construction and information technology.
