Unions Say Bullying 'rampant' In Public Hospitals

Public hospital staff say bullying is "rampant" on the wards, putting staff morale at risk and undermining patient care.

About 30 members of the Hospital Authority Workers General Union staged a protest outside Hospital Authority headquarters on Sunday.

Bullying behaviour could include anything from giving staff tasks they didn't want to do, to writing biased reports that affected people's promotion prospects, according to the union.

Dr Lam Kuen, the union's chairman, said such behaviour would undermine staff morale when workers were already under pressure due to a lack of manpower amid the winter flu season.

"I think [the authority] should make clear that they have zero tolerance to any bullying in the workplace," she said.

"They should ensure the workplace is fair, transparent, and that staff can work with dignity and with security."

Meanwhile the authority's chairman, Dr John Leong, said there was no quick solution to the staffing shortage at public hospitals.

Speaking after a major protest by doctors on Saturday, Leong said the authority was hiring as many outside doctors as possible to ease the pressure.