HONG KONG – Dozens of construction workers gathered outside a housing authority site in Kai Tak on Friday morning to protest unpaid wages, with several climbing onto a dangerous platform approximately five stories high.
The demonstration began around 9 a.m. At the “Keypoint” development on Mok Chun Street, where workers from a subcontracted plastering company claimed they had not been paid for three to four months. Protesters held banners reading “Sweat but no rice,” “Housing Authority, don’t turn a blind eye,” and “Main contractor maliciously withholding project funds – urge government intervention.”
According to witnesses and union representatives, the workers entered the site and positioned themselves on an elevated platform, prompting police and fire crews to arrive and monitor the situation. One of those on the platform was identified as the head of the subcontractor firm.
The Hong Kong Construction Industry General Union stated that over 100 workers, primarily plasterers, were owed more than HK$40 million in unpaid salaries and project fees. Union officials were dispatched to the scene to assess the conditions and assist in negotiations.
Authorities have not released an official statement regarding the outcome of the standoff, but the incident underscores ongoing concerns about payment delays in public construction projects and the vulnerability of subcontracted laborers.
