'Companies Forcing Staff To Join Testing Scheme'

Tsuen Wan district councillor Roy Tam said on Sunday that companies across Hong Kong have been forcing their staff to take part in the government's coronavirus testing programme.

Tam, from the Neo Democrats, said he had received around two dozen complaints from people who said their bosses had ordered them to take a test under the scheme.

"The government's so-called 'voluntary' testing has now transformed into compulsory testing for some occupations," Tam said.

He told RTHK's Priscilla Ng that he believes the complaints, from various sectors such as banking, transport and education, represent just the tip of the iceberg and that many employers have been infringing upon their workers' rights.

The councillor said one man, who worked at a trading company, reported that he had failed his probationary period with the firm because he had refused to take the free test.

Tam said people should point out to their employers that the testing is supposed to be voluntary. "Don't be afraid of those employers and don't be afraid of the government," he said.