The service sector has always been one of the most important industries in Hong Kong which contributes a lot to Hong Kong’s prosperous economic development by increasing Hong Kong’s GDP and providing numerous employment opportunities in the job market for the low-income earners with low education level. On the other hand, the Hong Kong service sector has long been accused of exploitation of labour, such as long working hour and insufficient employee benefits.
Recently, the H.K. Buildings Management & Security Workers General Union and the Retail, Commerce and Clothing Industries General Union jointly conducted a survey on the issue of lower limb musculoskeletal disorders among workers in the service sectors, and the interviewees include salespeople, cashiers, security guards, customer service assistants and so on. As many people expected, the survey result reveals the serious problem of long working hour in Hong Kong as about 50% of the interviewees reported working for more than 49 hours per week, while more than 20% of the respondents have worked for more than 60 hours per week. According to the union representative, it is surprising that many of the workers reporting long working hours are part-time workers, and it would not be difficult to imagine the predicament of the full-time workers who may have even longer working time.
Furthermore, the result indicates that more than half of the respondents have to stand for approximately 8 hours per day during their working time, and there are not enough facilities such as chairs and staff lounges provided for them, thus leading to the common problem of pain condition which have been reported by more than 90% of the interviewees. Many workers in the service sector suffer from lower limb musculoskeletal disorders (LLMD) which includes symptoms like foot, knee, joint and heel pain, and it is reported that more than 50% of the interviewees suffer from at least 3 symptoms at the same time, showing the seriousness of the problem.
Various labour unions have reported the dilemma in service sector to the Labour Department of Hong Kong, but no particular actions have been taken as LLMD is not considered occupation disease and is not covered under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (ECO). According to the Labour Department, despite the coverage of ECO, employees can still request for compensation if they can provide proof of injury during working hour, while most parties doubt the credibility and practicability of this claim, and they strongly urge for the implementation of standard working hours and break time, as well as the inclusion of LLMD in Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, so as to provide a better working environment for workers.
