~ Josefine Peters ~

A recent report by the Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor (HKLRM) details how Hong Kong’s labour protections face “profound and alarming structural collapse” as national security surveillance becomes the “new normal” under Chinese rule. The report outlines the developments in administration and policy of the last year, showcasing how the workers rights movement is facing significant constrains. The “dual pressure of the National Security Law (NSL) and draconian amendments to the Trade Unions Ordinance (TUO)”, which came into effect in January 2026, are leading to a “hollowing out of trade unions”, said the report [PDF].

HRLRM Director Christopher Mung described how authorities are continuously imposing “sweeping political controls over independent trade unions, fostering a climate of fear that deters workers from organising”. Even 1 May events have been facing constraints for years.

The strict laws and policies faced by workers and unionists have led to overall union membership dropping by one-sixth. Furthermore, the report emphasises the extreme levels of fragmentation that unions are facing. “By 2024, some 376 unions reported memberships in the “single digits,” representing a staggering 26.6% (nearly 30%) of the city’s total”, which has lead to a significant decrease in leveraging and bargaining power for the labour movement.

The report further highlights what it calls “administrative warfare”, detailing how administrative measures are being used to “allow the government to enter unions offices and seize membership lists without a warrant. Under this constant surveillance, “at least 15 trade unionists [were] arrested or charged ” by the end of 2025.

Nonetheless, the report mentions multiple spontaneous strikes and protests. Riders working for Keeta, a delivery platform, staged multiple strikes against pay cuts and for better contracts and pay. At the Hong Kong Baptist University a sit-in protest by outsourced staff led to an agreement for better pay. At a Coca Cola Plant, collective action following the unfair dismissal of a driver and union official led to the reinstatement of the driver. Thanks to the “unbroken courage of Hong Kong’s workers”, concludes the report, “worker’s resistance will never disappear because of adverse socio-political environments”.

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