Hong Kong

Truck drivers slow traffic in Hong Kong over rising fuel prices

About 300 truck drivers demonstrated against soaring fuel prices in Hong Kong on 10 June, marching to government headquarters and driving slowly across the territory to disrupt traffic. The protest was aimed at pressuring the government to slash fuel taxes amid rising gasoline costs. Five drivers abandoned their trucks in the afternoon, blocking a road in the financial district during rush hour.

Source: The Associated Press, 11 June 2008

Employers often ignore tribunal rulings and deadlines for payment of back wages. The Labour Advisory Board suggests that the Labour Department should file a criminal lawsuit against employers who refuse to obey the arbitration rulings.
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) pointed out that the Labour Tribunal dealt with more than 7,000 cases of defaulted wage payment by employers in 2007, and workers in 1,000 of such cases failed to receive their due back pay.
According to a survey by HKFTU, the lawyers’ fees for litigation range from HK$50,000 to HK$100,000, which cannot be afforded by employees generally.
According to another survey by the Trucks Driver Union, a few employers avoid paying wages by transferring out assets before their companies declare bankruptcy, or simply change company names to continue business operation. Despite workers having won the lawsuits, they still fail to receive their wages from this kind of shelf company.