Together with the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims (ARIAV) and other local community groups, HKCTU and its affiliates organised various activities on Sunday, April 28, 2002, to mark the 7th International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers.

A public exhibition on the history of dead and injured workers in Hong Kong was held outside the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. This included information booths, games for children and a competition for models of a monument to be constructed to honour dead and injured workers.

Relatives of workers killed in industrial accidents and injured workers gave speeches to more than 500 members of the public who visited the exhibition.

Lai-Ah, the wife of a construction worker killed at a building site told the story of her struggle for compensation for her husband's death. She and her two small children - both under 5 years of age at the time - were denied compensation by the subcontractor in charge of the construction site, the construction company and the property development company. For months she was forced to go back and forth between the three companies. Despite the fact that the property development company is owned by Hong Kong's wealthiest billionaire, Li Ka-shing, the company refused to pay any compensation. The contractor offered only HK$20,000 (later raised to HK$30,000) which was less than the cost of funeral expenses. The management of the construction company told the widow of the worker killed on its site to go and "beg" the development company for money. At the same time, the HK$30,000 promised weeks earlier was never paid.

Lai-Ah was quoted in the newspapers (HK Daily News, 29/40.02) as saying:

"I feel that a Day for the Dead and Injured Workers, or a monument will be treated as nothing in a society where government officials just talk - painting a good picture of things. I I experienced the death of my husband. I've tried hard to raise my children. I hope all the widows will be as strong and tough as I've been. But there's a big price in being tough. I hope that society will recognise the contribution of workers, and of us widows, and not only speak empty words...."

After a public protest and media campaign organised by Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims (ARIAV), the company paid HK$60,000. This still left the family in debt for the cost of funeral expenses.

Despite cases like these, the government still refuses to implement laws that force employers to pay adequate compensation, leaving the relatives of industrial accident victims to beg for money from the companies. In an emotional speech to the public during the April 28 event, the head of ARIAV, Chan Kam Hong, demanded that the rights and dignity of the relatives of workers killed at work be respected. He condemned the failure of the system which forces the relatives of industrial accident victims to beg, and demanded that the government force employers to fulfill their responsibility.

Speeches were followed by songs, poetry readings and performances by cultural activists.

These events formed part of the international activities that will take place on April 28.

Click here to go to campaigns section of Hazards, the online workers' health and safety magazine that won the International Labour Site of the Year award from LabourStart.

Petition to the Commissioner for Labour:

Over the past 10 years over 750,000 workers suffered industrial injuries and 2,500 workers were killed at work. The number of victims of occupational diseases numbered 6,500. On average, 200 workers were injured every day and 4 workers died every week. Workers contributed to society at the cost of their health and lives, but their rights are still not respected.

We demand:

1. official recognition of the Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers on April 28, and public education programmes on occupational health & safety rights;

2. construction of an official workers' monument in the city center for public commemoration ;

3. establishment of a central workers' compensation fund, a tribunal for work-related deaths, injuries and diseases compensation claims; as well as changes to relevant ordinances to safeguard the rights of the victims and their families;

4. strengthening of OSH inspection of workplaces and prosecution of employers who fail to implement health and safety regulations.

An exhibition of newspaper articles about accidents and deaths during the construction of the new international airport at Chek Lap Kok which opened in 1997. Over the seven years during which the airport was constructed, there were 60 major accidents and 52 workers died. Calls by trade unionists and activists for a monument to be erected at the airport were rejected by officials.

At this booth children guess the purpose of each piece of health & safety equipment and win prizes.


Chan Kam Hong, head of ARIAV, a Hong Kong-based advocacy and support group for industrial accident victims and their families, called for strict enforcement of health and safety rules and the punishment of employers caught violating these standards.