AMCB Labour Day Statement (English & Chinese)

Fight for Wage Increase and Protection of Rights

Our Demands are What Unite Us Workers!

保衛權益；爭取合理工資提升；

工人團結起來爭取我們所需！

In the face of relentless attacks to our wage, deterioration of working conditions, grave threats to our livelihood, denial of basic social services and violation of our rights, workers of Hong Kong, migrants and locals alike, are called to unite.

面對無休止的薪酬下調、工作環境質素不斷下降、生計受到嚴重的威脅、不斷削減的基本福利甚至連個人的權益亦受到侵犯時應如何自處,團結起來吧!香港的工人們!不論你們是本地勞工與否，一同站起來、爭取屬於自己的權益。

There is no other momentous day to do so than today, the International Labour Day. Thus we, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) who has led thousands of migrant workers in our fight for wage, livelihood and rights, unite with the local workers of Hong Kong in confronting the various issues that face the working people.

國際勞動節是一個何等重要的日子，亞洲移工鬥陣基地(AMCB)曾帶領數以千計的外勞去爭取他們應有的待遇、權益，是一個由香港多個外勞聯盟共同組成的大聯盟，為香港的工人爭取他們應有的待遇、提醒大眾對基層勞工的關注。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite to fight for just wage for all. This is always a rightful struggle of workers because our wage is always not commensurate to the amount of work that we do and the length of working hours we are made to keep. This fight has even become more legitimate for local and migrant workers of Hong Kong for the past years. As workers, we have both suffered from drastic wage cuts and policies that make our wage and jobs insecure.

香港的工人應該團結一致，爭取自己應有的薪酬。你們的要求是合理的，工作的量應與薪酬成正比，並且要制訂最高工時去保障自己的權益。過去數年這爭取在本地及外地勞工是越來越理所當然。香港工人所面對的不單是薪酬的大幅度下降，而且是一些不合理、不人道的制度，令他們失去了工作與薪金方面的保障。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite to fight against the imposition of regressive taxes to those who are already in dire economic condition such as the levy imposed to employers of Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs) but practically paid for by FDHs. To tax the FDH is plainly unjust, immoral and illegal

香港的工人要團結起來，推翻向那些經濟狀況惡劣的外籍傭工僱主徵收回歸稅的政策。在這項政策下，最終的受害者只有傭工本身，向低收入外籍傭工徵收稅項是如此不公平、不人道的行為，一定要加以阻止，保障外籍傭工的權益。

However, to tax employers of FDH is also unjust. FDH employers are mainly not the elite people of Hong Kong but the ordinary workers and employees whose salary has already been cut. They are the parents who are both forced to work to make ends meet and thus have the need, not the luxury, to hire domestic help. They are the workers who, in the long run, shall always be burdened by the levy.

對外傭僱主收取稅項也不合理。大多數外傭僱主不是香港的精英，而是普通的工人及僱員，他們的工資已左刪右減；他們是孩子的父母，只是被迫去工作及有需要而不是奢侈的去僱用傭工。他們同是打工仔，最終也會被這項徵程所負累。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite to fight the reduction and privatization of social services in Hong Kong. Services from the government are a right of all people of any country. To reduce the services and subject them to private businesses is to make them hostages to profit and more inaccessible to the ordinary people.

香港工人定要團結起來，對抗政府將其社會服務減縮及私營化，這是世界上所有人民的權利。縮減服務而令其私營化化，使之和利潤掛勾，結果遠離一般人民的需要。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite against neoliberalism and its impacts to the workers and the people. Policies of privatization, deregulation and liberalization have wrought havoc on workers of developed and developing countries. Rates of unemployment and underemployment rise up, labour flexibilization becomes rampant, and wages are depressed while the interests and profits of big multinational and transnational corporations remain protected.

香港工人定要團結對抗後自由主義及其對勞工和人民的影響。私營化、非秩序他及自由化等政策已對發展及發展中國家工人造成浩刧。失業及不充份就業率的上升，勞工被迫的柔順日益惡化，工資被下壓，反之跨國企業的利潤則得到保障。

This is the future that the World Trade Organization (WTO), set to meet here in December, has in store for the workers of Hong Kong. This is the future that we must resist. This is the future that we must reject and fight against together with other workers and peoples of the world.

這是世界貿易組織的未來，在今年十二月在此的會議，即將來臨到香港工人。這是我們要起來對抗的將來。是和世界各地的工人及人民共同反抗及爭取的將來。

Let us learn from those who in 1886 fought for the same issues that we are all fighting for now. Although varying in degree and magnitude, our situations, our demands and our goals for just wages, equality of treatment, protection of our rights and rejection of neoliberalism are what unite us.

就讓我們學習1886年的前人，以作為我們今天爭取的經驗。雖有時空的不同，但就我們的處境，我們的要求，我們要求合理的工資，公平的對待，保障我們的權益及反對後自由主義，這都是聯合團結我們的因素。

As we unite on our demands, we also unite in our action. Let not any effort of the government and big businesses to divide the working people of Hong Kong succeed. For only in the unity of the working people of Hong Kong – migrants and locals – shall we find our victory.

團結在我們共同的要求，團結在我們的行動。不要讓大財團及政府分化我們香港工人的力量。只要香港的工人能團結在一起---無論是本地及外籍工人---定必爭取到我們的勝利。

Asia Migrant Coordinating Body (AMCB)

亞洲移居人士聯盟

01-05-05