Introduction to HKCTU

The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) represents 170,000 members in over 70 affiliates.

Founded in 1990, HKCTU brings together democratic and independent trade unions committed to fighting for the rights and interests of workers.

HKCTU and its affiliates engage in a wide range of activities, including industry and workplace organising, public campaigns, lobbying, workers’ education, legal assistance for workers, legal representation in labour disputes, and retraining for unemployed workers. The main priority of HKCTU is organising workers and struggling for the workers’ rights.

This struggle takes place in a context where there is no right to collective bargaining and inadequate protection against dismissal for involvement in trade union activity. With no legal framework for collective bargaining and trade union recognition, it is common for employers to engage in anti-union practices and to victimise workers for their trade union involvement.

In fighting for the rights and interests of workers, HKCTU participates actively in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. As part of this movement HKCTU has fought for representation in the Legislative Council (LegCo) as a means to challenge government policies and push for more effective legal protection of worker and trade union rights. The President of HKCTU, Lau Chin-shek, and the HKCTU’s General Secretary, Lee Cheuk-yan, are both Legislative Councillors, giving voice to workers’ demands.

At the same time HKCTU continues to oppose the current political system as anti-democratic, and is campaigning for universal suffrage and the realisation of genuine democratic rights. The pro-democracy struggle of HKCTU includes solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in mainland China, including the struggle for independent trade unions.

 Our principles:

Solidarity: we believe that solidarity is strength

Rice Bowl (Job Security): we fight for workers’ rights & livelihood, and the improvement of working & living conditions

Justice: we have a responsibility to defend social justice, to reduce the gap between rich and poor, and fight for the redistribution of wealth

Democracy: workers’ rights and democracy are inseparable; without genuine democratic institutions working class people will always be excluded from the decisions that affect them and will face repression of their rights.