In 2013, dockworkers in Hong Kong went on strike for 40 days against the subcontracting companies demanding better pay and working conditions. It was the longest running industrial action in Hong Kong in years.

The strike relied on a huge base of community support, including students and young people, and held major occupation of the port and public space downtown. Striking workers were able to raise a strike fund estimated at USD$800,000.Even though the workers are from a minority union, the 40-day strike won increased wages for everyone on the docks. Hong Kong workers are now organizing a union for all port workers, including truckers, crane operators, longshore workers, checkers, and others.Right now, two workers from the action are on a national tour of the United States to share their experiences and build international solidarity across the Pacific Ocean.Come welcome them and participate!

Stephan Chan is a rank & file dockworker, employed as a sub-contracted checker in the Kwai Chung terminal. He helped to organize the Union of Hong Kong Dockers (UHKD) in 2005 and served as its first chairperson. He remains one of the core leaders of the union and played a vital role during the April 2013 strike.Loy Wong is an organizing secretary of Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), with more than 12 years of experience in the trade union. He leads the organizing and support work for unions in the transportation and logistics sector.

 

Sponsored by: African American Longshore Coalition (AALC) Seattle, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Seattle, Black Orchid Collective, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity (OWLS), Philippine US Solidarity Organization, Seattle Solidarity Network