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Fred Lai

MTR Corporation staff unions have expressed dissatisfaction over a pay rise of 3.7 per cent for most non-managerial workers, saying they want 6 per cent instead.
More than half of the company’s 15,000 non-managerial staff will receive the 3.7 per cent increase.
The pay rise, announced on Thursday and ranging from 1.85 per cent to 5.6 per cent depending on performance, comes into effect this month. The average rise is 4.1 per cent.
Six union representatives met MTR Corp management after around 50 workers staged a silent sit-in outside the operator’s headquarters on Thursday to protest against the rise.
“The low pay rise will damage our morale and we are very disappointed,” said Wong Yuen-wood, rights director of the Federation of Railway Trade Unions and one of the six representatives.
Hong Kong MTR workers’ union demands pay rise of 8pc
Wong said after the meeting that the federation would conduct a survey among staff this week to gather their opinions about the pay rise and other benefits.
“We strongly urge the corporation to reflect on the current mechanism for pay rises,” he said. “The management said they would try to provide more allowances and benefits for workers.”
The vice-chairman of another MTR union, the Hong Kong Railway Employees Union, Tam Kin-chiu, said the pay rise might lead to a higher turnover rate.
“We don’t want to see such a situation, but we cannot rule out further action,” Tam said, adding that the MTR Corp was facing a 10 to 20 per cent staff shortage.
Another unionist, federation vice-chairman Mak Pui-tung, told the Post: “The increasing workload and high standard of service are imposing great pressure on workers.”
MTR Corp profit falls on weaker property income
The federation at the same time welcomed an increase in the overtime allowance from 1.3 times the hourly wage to 1.5 times.
Responding to the union criticism, the MTR Corp said in a statement that the pay rise was determined following a study of pay trends in about 20 other firms. “We believe it is a reasonable adjustment and we will continue communicating with our workers,” it said.
The company offered a 5.26 per cent average pay rise last year. Staff wanted 3 per cent more.


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MTR Corporation

Hong Kong railway unionists unhappy over 3.7 per cent pay rise for most non-managerial staff

Federation of Railway Trade Unions members protest outside the MTR Corp’s headquarters in Kowloon Bay. Photo: Nora Tam

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Hong Kong economy

MTR Corporation staff stage silent sit-in outside operator’s headquarters to demand 6 per cent increase; unionists welcome rise in overtime allowance
