Although the dock workers’ strike has ended,the contracting-out system awaits reform

歷時四十日的碼頭工潮結束，罷工工人接納外判商提出劃一加薪百分之九點八終極方案。其實，問題根源在於近年日益盛行的外判制度，外判商取代資方角色，勞方不滿薪酬及工作環境，也不能直接跟資方對話解決分歧，結果引起不少問題和爭拗，加劇勞資矛盾，增加社會怨氣。事實上，由外判制度引起的勞資糾紛近年可以說是不絕如縷，今次工潮足以令人反思，這種制度是否有檢討的必要？

歸根究柢，港府才是外判制度種種亂象的始作俑者。早在上世紀九十年代開始，當局已把保安及清潔服務等工種外判私人承辦商，美其名節省公帑，提升管理效率，實際上由於投標制度採取價低者得，外判商為求中標，只能將價就貨，結果經常發生剋扣工資的情況。當年有外判清潔工時薪僅得可恥的七元，引起社會嘩然，當局才急急檢討外判制度，規定外判商須為員工提供合理薪酬，但依然無法杜絕工人被剝削的現象。

當局作為平衡勞資利益的把關人，應該適時介入檢討，減少無謂的爭拗，而港府作為全港最大外判商，更要負起本身的責任。

The dock workers ended their 40-day strike eventually after they accepted the contractor's ultimate offer of a uniform pay increase of 9.8%. In fact, the root of the problem lies with the contracting-out system which has been getting more and more prevailing in recent years. With contractors replacing the employer, employees cannot have a direct dialogue with the employer when they are dissatisfied with their wages or working conditions. As a result, unresolved problems and arguments intensify the conflicts between the labour and the capital, engendering more grievances in society. Numerous disputes have been caused by the contracting-out system in the past few years; the dock workers’ strike is the latest that ought to urge the Government to reflect if there is an urgent need to review such a system.

In the final analysis, the Hong Kong Government is the one that started it all. Since as early as the beginning of the 90s in the last century, the Government has been outsourcing security and cleaning work to private contractors. Under the high-sounding pretext of “saving public money” and “enhancing management efficiency”, the system has actually been exploiting workers. With a tendering regime that awards the contract to the lowest bid, contractors would always compress their cost and pay workers as least as possible. Some years ago, the news of outsourced cleaners earning only a shameful amount of 7 dollars an hour raised a public outcry. The Government then hurried to review the contracting-out system and stipulated that contractors must pay their employees a reasonable rate. However, the move has been unable to put an end to labour exploitation.

As the gatekeeper trying to strike a balance between the labour and the capital, the Government should intervene at an appropriate time to minimize unnecessary quarrels. Moreover, as the biggest institution that outsources jobs in Hong Kong, the Government should indeed take up its responsibility.

重要生字

dock worker 碼頭工人

the conflicts between the labour and the capital 勞資矛盾

contract out, outsource 外判

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