Hong Kong wage earners have long working hours, ranking among the top in the world's "longest working hours", and employees are physically and mentally burdened. On May 1st Labor Day, workers hope that the society will face up to the potential "karoshi" problem caused by long working hours.
An old master who has been in the catering industry for more than 30 years admits that the long working hours and repetitive work not only cause physical distress, but also cause poor family relations: "I would rather have shorter working hours and lower labor costs than physical pain. Lack of joy in life."
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Life is the repetition of "sleep, rework, eat"
Chef Chen has been a chef for more than 30 years. He wakes up around 8:00 in the morning to wash up and go out, and starts work from 10:00 to 9:30 in the evening. Due to the distance between his work place and his residence, he can only go home to rest at around 11:30 in the evening. He only has one day off on a weekday, and he described his life as "sleep, rework, and food".
Chef Chen has been a chef for over 30 years.
(provided by respondents)
Due to the long working hours and many repetitive movements, many years of hard work have also resulted in occupational diseases: frozen shoulder, disorders caused by standing for a long time, wrist and joint pain obtained with a spatula, etc. It's going to be a personal reversal." The long working hours also alienated him from his family. "Usually I leave early and come back late. Many times I go out of the house and work and return to the house. Many times (family) They all suck."
In the worst cases, I can’t even get a headache, and my head has a headache to the point of becoming a personal reversal... Usually I leave early and return late. Many times when I go out of the house and the company, people in the house and company feel tight sleep. .
Chef Chen
Five people work and three people do it during the epidemic: I would rather earn less, work less time, and make everyone comfortable
He also pointed out that under the epidemic, the restaurant has reduced its staff, and the kitchen work has been handled by five people instead of three, and the workload has greatly increased in disguise.
Looking back, Chen said, "Shiji would rather earn less money, work less hours, make people comfortable, and be sick all over the family, but it's okay to have no fun in life." Now that he is old, he sighs that he can only Resignation: "When I started cooking, I was in my twenties, and now my family will be able to ride with two mosquitoes. It's hard to change careers."
The stalker would rather earn less money, work less hours, make people comfortable, and be sick all over the family, but it can be said that life is no fun at all.
Chef Chen
▼On April 30, many trade unions went to the government headquarters to petition on the eve of Labor Day▼
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Long working hours form a vicious circle, unions urge legislation on standard working hours to eliminate "unpaid overtime"
Lee Cheuk-shen, director-general of the Federation of Hong Kong Catering Trade Unions, pointed out that some restaurants still have a "drop-off" system, coupled with the old apprenticeship system and the industry's increasing difficulty in hiring people, all of which are the reasons for the long working hours. He believes that a healthy working environment It is an important factor in attracting young people to join in. It is hoped that by changing the allocation of human resources in the industry, the workload and working hours of different positions will be improved. It is also hoped that the government can legislate on standard working hours to change the situation of "unpaid overtime".
11 working hour guidelines for designated industries have not yet been completed
The Hong Kong government started to discuss the legislation on standard working hours as early as 2010. As of 2018, the authorities put the legislation on standard working hours on hold and instead implemented the working hour guidelines for 11 designated industries. However, the introduction of relevant guidelines has been repeatedly delayed, and no industry has yet been completed. related drafts.
Labour Department says it is committed to narrowing the differences between labour and capital: the fifth wave hinders discussions on working hours guidelines
In response to "Hong Kong 01", the Labour Department pointed out that there are different opinions between employers and employees on whether and how to formulate working hours guidelines, and multiple mediation and coordination are required. Coupled with the impact of the new crown epidemic, the fifth wave of the epidemic that broke out in January this year is particularly severe, suffocating Discussion of working hours guidelines.
The Labour Department stated that it will continue to work hard to advance relevant discussions, coordinate between employers and employees, and narrow differences in the content of the guidelines.
There is no definition of "karoshi" in Hong Kong, a total of 665 people died suddenly during work in five years
According to the latest figures from the Labour Department, there have been as many as 665 cases of sudden death of employees at work in the past five years, of which more than 75% involved heart or brain diseases.
As early as 2017, the Labour Department commissioned the OSHC to study sudden death cases of employees at work, focusing on such cases. The relevant research results were submitted to the Legislative Council for discussion in June last year.
In this study, the OSHC analyzed a total of 200 cases of death due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in the workplace, and pointed out that most of the cases involved various personal risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as advanced age, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. None of the cases involved only work-related risk factors.
Industrial Casualty Rights Council Criticizes Personal Factors for Long-Hour-Related Deaths
Siu Qianwen, director-general of the Industrial Injury Rights Association, criticized the report for being sloppy. Among the 200 cases, 44 were cases of long working hours, which is a relatively high proportion. However, the analysis by the authorities only stopped at their personal risk factors such as obesity and smoking, and did not There is an in-depth study of the relationship between the working hours, type of work, and nature of work in each case and the induction of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The only reason is so harsh (Mean), in fact, it doesn't make it necessary to talk about protecting workers."
Labour Department should ask employers to report the work situation of workers who died suddenly
Xiao Qianwen said that every year more than 100 people die suddenly during work, which is like a "sacrifice in vain".
She mentioned that the Workers' Rights Association also received more than 10 requests for help from the families of workers who died suddenly. However, under the current Employees' Compensation Ordinance, sudden death at work is not an occupational disease specified in the Ordinance, so it is difficult to claim compensation from employers. So far, there has not been one case. success.
Siu Qianwen continued to point out that the family members may not have a good understanding of the actual working conditions of the workers, and it becomes very difficult to collect information to file a claim. She believes that the Labour Department can require employers to explain the working conditions of the employees when reporting the sudden death of an employee, and she also believes in such information Some Labour Departments judge whether the sudden death of a worker is work-related.
Occupational deaths in Hong Kong soared by 40% last year. Non-accidental deaths accounted for more than half or overwork deaths. It took three years for the Labour Department to consider karoshi as an occupational disease. Nearly 20% of doctors are overworked and suffer from depression. The labor union survey revealed that about 5% of workers work more than 75 hours a week, and they urged legislation to control the ambulance manpower shortage. The daily working hours are nearly 16 hours. : Unseen by the Federation of Education's survey, 75% of the interviewed teachers worked 51 hours a week, parents complained as a source of pressure Women's Federation survey said that more than half of the respondents were reluctant to give birth, advocate flexible working hours, build public housing and increase their willingness to standard Working Hours｜The Chief Director of the Working Hours Policy Division of the Labor Department resigned last month.
