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Written by: Golden Chess Hou Cailin
2020-02-01 22:46
Last updated: 2020-02-01 22:46With the spread of a new coronavirus related to Wuhan pneumonia, the HA staff union "HA Staff Front" was dissatisfied with the government's rejection of the comprehensive closure plan. A special general meeting was held this afternoon (1st) to vote on the strike. The voting results were released at approximately 8.50 pm, with 3,123 votes in favor and 10 votes against, with 23 abstentions and 8 invalid votes. The strike was announced. If negotiations with the Hospital Authority break down, strikes will be staged starting next Monday (3rd).
The union requested that the Chief Executive, Lin Zhengyue, will attend tomorrow's (2nd) negotiations between the trade union and the Hospital Authority and openly talk with frontline medical staff.
Yu Huiming issued a strike declaration after counting the votes. She said that the strike was "the government forced out of prison". (Photo by Liang Pengwei)
Luo Zhuoyao, deputy chairman of the Hospital Staff Front, announced that a total of 3,164 members had voted today, of which 3,156 were valid votes and 8 were invalid votes. Among them, 3,123 were in favor, 10 were against, and 23 abstained. The motion against the Wuhan Pneumonia Strike Plan was passed.
Yu Huiming, chairman of the HA's staff front, issued a strike declaration after counting the votes. She said that the strike was "the government forced out" and there had been many grievances over manpower and resources. Hong Kong medical staff had been silently accepting it, but the epidemic broke out and the government handled it. Regardless of the safety of the public, as a responsible medical staff must stand up and speak up. She believes that the government ’s announced epidemic prevention measures, including limited customs clearance, failed to provide the right medicine, and in the end it would only be futile.
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She pointed out that one day the customs clearance was not complete, and all suspected cases were blocked from entering Hong Kong via the Mainland. "The medical burden will only increase geometrically and exceed the carrying capacity." The voting results are now available, and a strike is imperative. Yu Huiming burst into tears during her speech and asked the government to respond. The Chief Executive, Lin Zhengyue, as the head of the Steering Committee on Epidemic Resistance, attended the tomorrow's trade union and the Hospital Authority negotiations to open a dialogue with frontline medical staff.
She also emphasized that she understands that the strike will inevitably affect the citizens, but the current situation is that the government is forcing it, and she believes that the government should announce a complete customs clearance on its own initiative. She believes that today's Secretary for Food and Health, Chen Zhaoshi, is "hyped-up" and the unions will go hand in hand with medical staff.
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According to the union's strike guidelines, the entire strike plan is from 3 to 7 of this month and is divided into two phases. The non-emergency services of the Hospital Authority will be suspended on the first day (3rd). Strike. If the government still does not respond to the appeal before 9 pm on the 3rd of this month, the union will mobilize all members, covering all grades of employees to strike, including A & E and all A & E staff. If the government fails to respond to the appeal before the evening of the 7th of this month, the union will not rule out escalation actions.
The HA responded that it understands that staff members have different opinions on handling the epidemic situation. It has opened different platforms and hotlines to listen to staff's opinions, and made follow-up and improvement measures for different areas of work. The Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Gao Shengsheng, has accepted the invitation to meet and hopes to exchange views frankly and continue to negotiate with each other to jointly cope with the current epidemic.
Regarding the strike by the union, the Bureau stated that it would pay close attention to the situation, and all public hospitals will try their best to maintain the service by deploying manpower to ensure that the impact of patient treatment is minimized. When necessary, the service will be adjusted to maintain emergency services. Hope to fight the epidemic Work is not affected.
Wuhan pneumonia strike
