Union angered by import of mainland drivers

Citybus workers raise safety concerns and push for more local recruitment

A union for Citybus workers has decried the company’s importation of 20 drivers from mainland China into Hong Kong, raising concerns about road safety and their driving standards.

Citybus Limited Employees Union chairman Lam Nai-wa yesterday said the organisation was outraged by the company’s decision to bring in mainland bus drivers for non-franchised operations. Five arrive next month to take the local driving test.

“We are very angry about this arrangement,” Lam said. “The company has decided to import the mainland drivers without consulting us. This is entirely disrespectful to the union and its staff.”

Lam raised safety concerns, noting mainlanders drove on the opposite side of the road and used different traffic rules.

“I am concerned about whether they can adapt to a different environment and drive safely in Hong Kong, which has a different set of rules from that of the mainland,” he said.

“Mainland bus drivers have no experience of driving double-deckers. Who can ensure that they will be fit for the job?”

Lam questioned whether Citybus could provide sufficient training for the drivers and ensure road safety, urging the firm instead put the resources into hiring local drivers.

“The imported drivers only have about 20 days to undergo training and a driving test,” he said. “If things go wrong, who will be responsible for the passengers’ safety?”

A company spokesman said the import of drivers came amid a manpower shortage in the city’s transport sector, adding that under a government scheme allowing Citybus to import 20 drivers, they would only operate non-franchised services, such as employee shuttles and city tours.

“The mainland bus captains will only operate designated routes under our non-franchised business in accordance with the stipulated regulations, and they will not be assigned to operate any of our around 300 franchised bus routes,” he said.

“This arrangement allows us to redeploy local manpower to our franchise bus services, ensuring the continued provision of stable, efficient and high-quality bus services to our customers.”

The spokesman said local drivers were offered a competitive salary and benefits package of up to HK$30,000 per month, compared with about HK$19,000 a month for imported ones.

“It is important to note that the aforementioned benefits are exclusively tailored to the local labour market and are only applicable to new local hires,” he said.

Lai Siu-chung of the Motor Transport Workers General Union also opposed the move, saying it would adversely affect the livelihood of local bus drivers.

In a statement issued last night, the Transport Department said to protect the welfare of Hong Kong workers, relevant employers should prove they failed to hire a local employee after two weeks of advertising for the role. It noted the firms were not allowed to lay off any staff to import mainland drivers. The department said all imported drivers must pass local driving tests and undergo route training before they were allowed to provide service.

“All those who take road tests must attain the same standards as those for other people to ensure road safety,” it said.

Separately, the Staffs and Workers Union of Hong Kong Civil Airlines yesterday released the results of a recent survey that showed 67 per cent of some 300 respondents said they were pessimistic about their job prospects. The complaints mainly centred on imported labour, which they said undermined the recruitment of local workers.