40 days on, dockers reflect on fight for dignity
Before March 28, they were just a bunch of contract dockers at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals who were dissatisfied with their wages and conditions but had never made their voices heard. That day they told themselves they had had enough and walked out on strike - not realising the industrial action would last for 40 days.
Before March 28, they were just a bunch of contract dockers at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals who were dissatisfied with their wages and conditions but had never made their voices heard.
That day they told themselves they had had enough and walked out on strike - not realising the industrial action would last for 40 days.
Some of the 430 strikers working for contractors under tycoon Li Ka-shing's port operator Hongkong International Terminals said they had thought about giving up but stuck it out because they were touched by the support of Hongkongers.
"I never thought that it would last so long," a docker from contractor Everbest Port Services said. "I thought it would end after a few days. I thought about giving up. But I did not, because of the support from the public."
I thought it would end after a few days. I thought about giving up. But I did not, because of the support from the public
The man, giving his name only as Lee, recalled the touching sight of an old man pulling a trolley with two boxes of Spam luncheon meat to their initial strike base at the terminals.
"He came three times," Lee said. "I know he is not a rich man. He lives on social welfare. Every time he came, he just told us that we had his full support and left."
