Bus Drivers Want Govt To Probe KMB Action

A Kowloon Motor Bus driver, who was dismissed and hastily reinstated by the public transport operator on Tuesday, is now calling for the Labour Secretary to intervene into the dispute.

Yip Wai-lam also wants the government to investigate whether the bus company had violated any laws in sacking them.

Yip, who spearheaded a strike last month over pay, on Wednesday wrote an open letter to the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, urging her to take action over the escalating labour dispute.

Yip and her husband, Lau Cheuk-hang, were sacked along with two other bus drivers on Tuesday, but the company backtracked on its decision after more than a hundred people from unions and political parties held an overnight sit-in protest at the KMB depot on Stonecutters Island.

In the letter, Yip, who founded the Monthly Paid Bus Drivers Alliance, said she's extremely dissatisfied with KMB's action. She urged Lam to appoint the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Law Chi-kwong, to deal with the controversy.

She also demanded the government to review labour laws to ensure there's adequate protection for workers who take part in industrial action.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Law Chi-kwong, said it's not appropriate for the government to comment on the dispute at this stage, but it's closely monitoring developments.

He said the government will let KMB deal with the issue according to its own review mechanism, adding that authorities will intervene if the company is found to have broken the law.