Improving Hong Kong Street Waste Disposal Experience May 2019 | Page 11

Some key facts we learned from news:
LOW WAGES
Currently, all cleaners are not
technically employed by the Hong
Kong Government. They are employed
by external vendors. The problem
with this setup is that, the vendor
usually changes every 2-3 years and
in most cases, those with the lowest
price will get the deal. This low price
will then translate back to the wages
of their cleaners. It also means that
their holidays and wages will not be
accumulated despite the fact that most
of them have been working for more
than 10 years.
According to a survey conducted by
the Living Wage Alliance in 2018,
the average wage of a cleaner is
$8,640 hkd. In this photo, over 100
cleaners were protesting in Kwun
Tong outside the office of a cleaning
vendor. However, the protest ended
only in a few hours time without any
improvements made.
NO STORAGE SPACE &
WATER SUPPLY
Most of the cleaners have no storage
facilities to store their personal
belongings including their phone,
keys, wallet and most importantly food
and water. Cleaners need to carry 2-3
litres of water everyday and bring it
everywhere even during their cleaning
operation. Some cleaners mentioned
there are desperate times during
hot summer days when they resort
to drinking water from public toilets.
Regarding food, they need to bring
their food containers with them and
place it in their cart i.e. near all the
garbage. In some extreme cases, their
food was stolen by other cleaners and
the homeless.
NO SPACE FOR REST
According to a research study conducted by the Hong Kong Catholic
Commission for Labour Affairs in 2017, 60% of vendors did not provide resting
spaces for their cleaners. However, ironically, in a cleaner’s contract, there is a
clause stating that all cleaners are not allowed to eat in public spaces i.e. on the
street, in parks, in restaurants etc. They must go to a public toilet, get changed
before they can eat. If they were to break this rule,a government officer can take
pictures and report back to the vendors, which results in a warning or at times,
losing their job. To avoid the hassle, most cleaners will just eat at the garbage
station, public toilet or wear something on top of their uniform to be able to eat
at the park.
NO INSURANCE & BENEFIT
Cleaners
working
condition are
TERRIBLE
This is a screenshot taken from a video
on Facebook shot by a pedestrian
on 23rd May 2017. Female cleaner
Ying, was using her cart to send her
cleaning partner, Wai to the hospital
as he suffered a serious fever and
collapsed at work. The story went viral
and was covered by different media
outlets. Wai had been ill for days but
refused to see a doctor due to high
medical fees. It turns out there is no
medical insurance scheme provided
despite the dangerous and poor
working conditions.
Photo source: HK01
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