Press Release

30 September 2014

HKCTU calls international union movement to support Hong Kong people’s protest for genuine universal suffrage

19 trade unions’ support are pouring in till now

HKCTU has called an emergency strike on 29 September, to protest against the Hong Kong Government’s heavy-handed repression of Hong Kong people’s freedom of expression and rights to assembly, and police violence against a peaceful protest, organized by students and citizens. Shorter than 24 hours, several unions have joined this call (including Swire Beverages (Hong Kong) Employees General Union, Union Of Hong Kong Dockers and social workers in Hong Kong). Their actions show that they fear no repression and their determination to fight for democracy till the end.

The international trade unions are also writing to support HKCTU and workers in Hong Kong. By noon, 30 September, International Trade Union Confederation-Asia Pacific, International Union of Food workers, Building and Wood Workers’ International, as well as national unions from South Korea, Philippines, Fiji, the USA, Canada, Sweden, the UK, France, Italy and the Republic of Ivory Coast and many others have shown their support to the Hong Kong people. HKCTU has also launched a petition campaign, which more than a thousand signatures from unionists across the world have been collected. Together, we want Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of Hong Kong and Xi Jinping, President of China to know that we disapprove of their crackdown and we demand:

1) The Chinese Government to withdraw its proposal to control Hong Kong’s election and return the rights to genuine universal suffrage to Hong Kong people ;

2) To immediately stop repression and guarantee Hong Kong people’s rights to peaceful demonstrations. The authority must bear full responsibility of any crackdown.

In Solidarity,

1. AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)

2. ASA (Asian Students Association)

3. BWI Asia Pacific (Building and Wood Worker’s International for Asia and Pacific)

4. Canadian Labour Congress

5. CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labour)

6. CIAGAHCI-DIGNITE (ITUC Affiliate at Ivory Coast)

7. Flai CGIL (The italian trade Union of Agriculture and Food sector)

8. FTUC (The Fiji Trades Union Congress)

9. Global Labour Institute

10. ITUC-Asia Pacific (ITUC Regional Organisation for Asia and Pacific)

11. IUF (International Union of Foodworkers)

12. KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions)

13. KMU (Kilusang Mayo Uno)

14. LIVS (Swedish Foodworkers Union)

15. RWDSU (Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union, US)

16. Toronto & York Region Labour Council

17. UFCW (The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, US)

18. UNIFOR (Canada’s largest union in the private sector)

19. UNITE HERE (The hotel, food service and gaming union in the United States and Canada)

* http://www.hkctu.org.hk/web/en/article_subpage.jsp?id=217

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Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in Support of Hong Kong Demonstrations

September 29, 2014

In response to the worker strikes and student-led demonstrations in Hong Kong for democratic reform, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement of support:

“Hong Kong’s students, workers and citizens are bravely standing up for democracy and the right to peaceably assemble as they fight for that most basic democratic right to nominate and elect their own leaders—a right promised Hong Kong people by Britain and China in 1997 and vouchsafed for them under international law.

The central Chinese government has denied that right. Last night Hong Kong authorities deployed excessive force against peaceful demonstrations by secondary school and university students, trade unionists and citizens seeking to protest the suppression of democracy in Hong Kong.

This unprecedented use of excessive force by HK authorities against its citizens has included tear gas and even suggestions that live ammunition rounds could be unleashed against the youth and citizens of Hong Kong.

Our brothers and sisters in the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and the Teachers’ Union have called for a general strike in support of the students fighting for democracy. We, as trade unionists and advocates for democracy, fully support our Hong Kong brothers and sisters in their struggle.

We specifically call on the Hong Kong government to abandon use of excessive force against peaceful students, workers and citizens. There is no reason to throw tear gas and threaten to shoot your citizens.

We call on the Chinese authorities to commence discussions with Hong Kong citizens on how to speedily implement the undoubted democratic right of Hong Kong people to freely nominate persons to be candidates in democratic elections—a basic right being denied.

We call on our government to underscore to China and Hong Kong that violent repression is not an acceptable way to address the deep, wide and persistent demands of Hong Kong people for basic democratic rights.”

Contact: Sean Savett (202) 637-5018)

* http://www.aflcio.org/Press-Room/Press-Releases/Statement-by-AFL-CIO-President-Richard-Trumka-in-Support-of-Hong-Kong-Demonstrations

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