Pro-Beijing union coalition urges Hongkong Post to reverse halt on permanent contracts

A pro-Beijing coalition of trade unions has called on Hongkong Post to reverse its decision to stop offering permanent civil servant contracts to new hires, in an effort to reduce operational costs. The move is expected to impact around 200 postal workers. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) representative, Bill Tang, along with other unionists and affected employees, met with government officials to express their deep concern over the new employment terms.

FTU and the Hongkong Post made a proposal to prioritize communication with trade unions to find alternative ways to address financial pressures. This comes after Hongkong Post announced it would offer only two-year contracts to new hires, including mail carriers and postal officers, whose probation periods would end in September this year or later.

Postmaster General Leonia Tai attributed the decision to the declining mail traffic and the need to prepare for an even steeper drop in the future. The post office reported a record operating loss of HK$821 million last year, while mail traffic dropped by 12% year-on-year. The Legislative Council recently approved a HK$4.6 billion bailout to support the post office's operations over the next three years.

The trade unions argue that the financial bailout should be sufficient to address the post office's financial challenges, and that the government should not use the strain on finances as an excuse to undermine the rights of frontline employees.