25 Feb 2025集誌社#4560
Street-poster controversy | Baguio immediately fires four cleaners; two not present during confrontation tell of their grievance: Removing posters requires photographs, and missed shots led to supplementary photos and a misunderstanding
有市民昨（24日）在社交媒體 Facebook 上載一段影片，指有食環署外判清潔工人，在深水埗工作期間，懷疑「自貼、自拆、自拍 」清理街招。食環署同日回應指，涉事四名工人已停職，並轉介警方跟進。事件今（25日）早再有進展，四名工人被外判商「碧瑤」即時解僱。
其中兩名未被影片拍攝到，事發時被對質時，並不在場的同組同女工，同被解僱。兩名女工友接受《集誌社》訪問，說出她們的版本，解釋事件只是「誤會」，稱「拆街招」工作，需拍三次相片，交予街站管工以作證明，事發時只是「忘記影」，因而「補影」，指「拆多張（街招），又唔會有bonus，點解要咁做？」女工對被炒感無奈，她說：「想復職又唔想搞咁多嘢」。
A member of the public uploaded a video to Facebook yesterday (24th), alleging that outsourced cleaners working for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Sham Shui Po had apparently been “putting up, removing and photographing their own street posters” while clearing posters. The department responded the same day that the four workers involved had been suspended and the matter referred to police for follow-up. The case developed further this morning (25th), when the contractor, Baguio, summarily dismissed all four workers.
Two female co-workers who were not captured in the video and were not present when the workers were confronted were also dismissed. In an interview with The Witness, the two women gave their account and said the incident was simply a “misunderstanding”. They said the work of removing street posters required three photographs to be taken and submitted to the street-team supervisor as proof. They had merely “forgotten to take the photos” at the time and subsequently took supplementary photographs. They asked: “There’s no bonus for removing more posters, so why would we do that?” One of the women expressed helplessness over being fired, saying: “I want to be reinstated, but I don’t want to make such a fuss.”
23 Feb 2025獨媒#4550
Russia-Ukraine War Marks Third Anniversary as Group Protests Against War in Causeway Bay
明日（2月24日）是俄烏戰爭爆發三周年。2022年2月24日，俄羅斯以「特別軍事行動」為名入侵烏克蘭，至今死傷無數。Facebook 專頁「反戰動員 HK Anti-war Mobilization」成員今日（2月23日）到銅鑼灣崇光百貨外示威，要求俄羅斯立即停止侵略，歸還領土予烏克蘭並作出補償。3名成員分別扮演美國總統特朗普、烏克蘭總統澤連斯基及俄羅斯總統普京，諷刺普京壓迫烏克蘭投降，以及特朗普上任後趁火打劫，要求烏克蘭還款並讓出5,000億美元的一半稀土礦藏。行動結束後，數名便衣警員向成員及在場記者查身份證。
Tomorrow (24 February) marks the third anniversary of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in what it called a “special military operation”, resulting in countless deaths and injuries to date. Members of the Facebook page “反戰動員 HK Anti-war Mobilization” protested outside Sogo department store in Causeway Bay today (23 February), demanding that Russia immediately end its aggression, return territory to Ukraine and provide compensation. Three members dressed respectively as US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, satirising Putin’s coercion of Ukraine into surrender and Trump’s alleged exploitation of the situation after taking office by demanding that Ukraine repay money and hand over half of its US$500 billion worth of rare-earth mineral resources. After the action ended, several plain-clothes police officers checked the identity cards of the members and journalists present.
19 Feb 2025獨媒#4533
“Taxi Strike” Called Off Again; Organiser Wong Yu-ting: Give the Government a Chance to Change
「的士罷工」在醞釀不足一周後，今日宣告「停止」。香港無線電的士聯誼會主席黃羽庭早前揚言3月5日發起罷駛5日，運輸署急邀業界代表開會，會後黃羽庭表示特首李家超昨日已承諾執法打擊白牌車，宣布停止罷駛行動。他表示今次停止罷駛是「畀機會囉，畀機會政府囉，改改自己」，希望執法部門對違法白牌車「見一單拉一單」。至於將來倘見執法力度不足，「罷工」會否捲土重來？黃羽庭稱香港「最高領導人係特首」，若其言論亦無法督促「下屬部門」，「我哋都無咩好講，將來都無需要講嘢」。
The “taxi strike” was declared “stopped” today, less than a week after it was being planned. Wong Yu-ting, chairman of the Hong Kong Radio Taxi Association, had earlier said a five-day refusal to drive would begin on March 5. The Transport Department urgently invited industry representatives to a meeting. After the meeting, Wong said Chief Executive John Lee had promised yesterday to step up enforcement against white-plate vehicles, and announced that the refusal-to-drive action would be stopped. He said stopping the action this time was to “give it a chance, give the government a chance to change itself”, and hoped enforcement departments would “arrest one for every illegal white-plate vehicle they see”. Asked whether the “strike” would return if enforcement was insufficient in future, Wong said the “highest leader in Hong Kong is the Chief Executive”; if even his remarks could not urge his “subordinate departments” to act, “we have nothing more to say, and there will be no need to say anything in future”.
19 Feb 2025獨媒#4535
International Fur Fashion Fair Held at Convention Centre as Animal Rights Groups Protest
俄國和中亞「一帶一路」國家一向是皮草商品大戶，俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭遭受西方制裁後，香港成為取得皮草的重要管道。香港國際毛皮時裝展覽一連4日在於灣仔會展舉行，動物保護組織發起抗議，指每一塊皮草都是來自活生生動物，多個西方國家已經摒棄皮草，呼籲良心消費者向皮草業說不。發起活動的負責人更表示，在新冠疫情期間，在歐美多個養殖場都被驗出新冠病毒，因為動物在惡劣擠迫的環境下，容易傳播病毒。
由五名動保人士今早在中環廣場進行「行為藝術」抗議，有人身穿黑衣、頭戴面具打扮成死神，手持寫有「皮草通向死亡」的道具鐮刀，指著會展方向高叫口號，指控展覽「熱愛死亡，擁抱痛苦」、「入面有新鮮兔仔皮、狐狸皮」、「充滿痛苦及血腥的味道」，諷刺皮草展在處於重視動物權益的年代。抗議期間，有數名中環廣場職員及便衣警員設置欄杆及雪糕筒分隔抗議人士與行人。
Russia and Belt and Road countries in Central Asia have long been major buyers of fur products. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to Western sanctions, Hong Kong became an important channel for obtaining fur. The Hong Kong International Fur & Fashion Fair was held for four consecutive days at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Animal protection organisations staged a protest, saying that every piece of fur came from a living animal. They said several Western countries had already abandoned fur and called on conscientious consumers to reject the fur industry. The person responsible for organising the activity also said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus had been detected at multiple farms in Europe and the United States, as viruses could spread easily among animals living in harsh and overcrowded conditions.
Five animal protection advocates staged a “performance art” protest at Central Plaza this morning. One person dressed in black, wore a mask and portrayed the Grim Reaper, holding a prop sickle bearing the words “Fur Leads to Death”, pointing towards the convention centre and shouting slogans. They accused the exhibition of “loving death and embracing suffering”, saying that there was “fresh rabbit fur and fox fur inside” and that it was “filled with the smell of suffering and bloodshed”. They mocked the fur exhibition for taking place in an era that attaches importance to animal rights. During the protest, several Central Plaza staff members and plainclothes police officers put up barriers and traffic cones to separate the protesters from pedestrians.
18 Feb 2025獨媒#4527
Taxi Drivers Plan to Suspend Service; John Lee Says Radical Action Will Lose Public Support and May Be Hijacked
的士業於2月10日舉行同業大會，要求打擊「白牌車」，會議主持人、香港無線電的士聯誼會主席黃羽庭稱如未獲當局正面回應，將於3月5日起一連五日「暫停載客」。行政長官李家超今日被問到看法，指「激烈行動」不能解決問題，只會傷害市民利益，亦不得民心，更或被騎劫。他重申政府已提出解決方案，即引入的士車隊及規管網約車平台，籲各界共同推進。
The taxi trade held an industry meeting on 10 February, calling for action against illegal hire cars. Meeting chair Wong Yu-ting, chairman of the Hong Kong Radio Taxi Association, said that if the authorities did not give a positive response, taxis would “temporarily suspend passenger services” for five consecutive days from 5 March. Asked for his views today, Chief Executive John Lee said “radical action” could not solve the problem, would only harm the public interest, and would not win public support; it could also be hijacked. He reiterated that the Government had proposed solutions, namely introducing taxi fleets and regulating online ride-hailing platforms, and called on all sectors to work together to take them forward.
18 Feb 2025獨媒#4528
Motor Transport Workers General Union Abandons Government HQ Petition, Holds Press Conference at Its Base; Says Strike Is “Personal Choice” of Other Industry Players
有的士車主代表早前揚言，一旦政府無正面回應規管網約車平台，將在下月5日罷駛最少5日。事件今日再有變數，無線電的士聯誼會主席黃羽庭改稱一向不主張罷駛，一切有待明日與政府開會。工聯會屬會汽車交通運輸業總工會昨日發採通，打算在政總東翼門外「強烈要求」政府取締「白牌車」，中午突然變卦，改為在工聯會灣仔會址舉行記者會。對於罷駛行動，汽總副主席莊永德指行動是「其他業界」的個人意願，並認為行動是「官逼民反」。
Some taxi-owner representatives earlier said that if the Government did not respond positively to the regulation of online ride-hailing platforms, they would stop driving for at least five days from the 5th of next month. The situation changed again today: Wong Yu-ting, chairwoman of the Radio Taxi Association, said she had never advocated a strike and that everything would depend on a meeting with the Government tomorrow. The Motor Transport Workers General Union, an affiliated union of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, issued a press release yesterday saying it planned to “strongly demand” outside the East Wing entrance of the Central Government Offices that the Government crack down on “white-plate vehicles”. It suddenly changed plans at noon and instead held a press conference at the Federation’s Wan Chai office. Regarding the strike action, the union’s vice-chairman Cheung Wing-tak said it was the “personal choice” of “other industry players” and described it as a case of “officials forcing the people to rebel”.
15 Feb 2025集誌社#4518
Shiu Ka-chun funeral | More than 1,200 mourners pay respects; public bid farewell with yellow umbrellas; wife Kelly: “Use round glasses as our sign, meet and fall in love earlier, and be husband and wife again”
前立法會社福界議員邵家臻上月病逝，今早（15日）在灣仔循道衞理聯合教會國際禮拜堂舉行安息禮。逾千市民及親友到場致意。安息禮拜上，邵家臻的老師、好友、妻子，先後分享邵為青少年、在囚人士等爭取公義的點滴。邵家臻的妻子 Kelly 撰文悼念說：「好，你說下一次，我們以圓形眼鏡作為記認，早一點相遇相愛，再做兩公婆」。
約 12 時 46 分，邵家臻的靈柩運上靈車，其妻子 Kelly 手持邵家臻的遺照，照片上的邵家臻將眼鏡掛上額頭，托腮低頭沉思。靈車離開教堂一刻，有市民揮手、舉黃雨傘送別。警方則早上在灣仔道設流動指揮車、場外有便衣警員看守。
Former Legislative Council social welfare constituency lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun, who died after an illness last month, held a funeral service this morning (15th) at Methodist International Church in Wan Chai. More than 1,000 members of the public, friends and relatives attended to pay their respects. At the service, Shiu Ka-chun’s teacher, friends and wife took turns sharing memories of his efforts to fight for justice for young people, prisoners and others. In a written tribute, his wife Kelly said: “Okay, you said next time. We’ll use round glasses as our sign, meet and fall in love earlier, and be husband and wife again.”
At about 12:46pm, Shiu Ka-chun’s coffin was placed in the hearse. His wife Kelly held a portrait of him in which he had his glasses perched on his forehead, rested his chin on his hand and bowed his head in thought. As the hearse left the church, members of the public waved and held up yellow umbrellas to bid farewell. Police had set up a mobile command vehicle on Wan Chai Road in the morning, while plainclothes officers stood guard outside the venue.
13 Feb 2025集誌社#4511
Public Opinion Institute halts work | Searched by national security police last month, suspends self-funded research and may transform or close
學者鍾劍華被國安警懸紅 100 萬元通緝後，國安警在上月兩星期內，三度對民研採取行動，包括搜查民研辦公室檢走物品、以及兩度帶走主席及行政總裁鍾庭耀、職員等調查。
民研今早發聲明指重新審視未來發展路向後，作出決定，宣布即日起無限期擱置所有自費研究活動，會專注受委託研究，將會轉型或結業，歡迎有心人洽購或接辦。而鍾庭耀則會透過世界民意研究學會，推動民意研究發展，直至其卸任理事一職。
After a HK$1 million bounty was placed by national security police for scholar Chung Kim-wah, national security police took action against the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute three times within two weeks last month. They searched the institute’s office and seized items, and twice took its chairperson and chief executive officer, Chung Ting-yiu, and staff members away for investigation.
The institute said in a statement this morning that, after reviewing its future direction, it had decided to suspend all self-funded research activities indefinitely from today. It will focus on commissioned research and may transform or close. It welcomes interested parties to purchase or take over the institute. Chung Ting-yiu will promote the development of public opinion research through the World Association for Public Opinion Research until he steps down as a council member.
9 Feb 2025HK01#4496
Budget 2025 | Three disciplined services unions prefer pay freeze to pay cut; civil service federation declines to comment
多個紀律部隊工會今日（9日）出席新春團拜時，就財赤下公務員薪酬調整表態。海關、入境處、懲教署工會均表示寧願公務員凍薪，希望不要減薪。不過，公務員總工會則較保守，指在新一份薪酬趨勢調查結果公布前，不會發表任何有關公務員薪酬的意見。
Several disciplined services unions commented on civil service pay adjustments amid the fiscal deficit at a Chinese New Year gathering today (9th). The Customs, Immigration Department and Correctional Services Department unions all said they would rather civil servants’ pay be frozen and hoped there would be no pay cut. The civil service federation, however, took a more cautious position, saying it would not express any views on civil service pay before the results of the latest pay trend survey were announced.
9 Feb 2025集誌社#4497
McDonald’s Alliance｜Fired worker forms “alliance” to push McDonald’s to treat employees better; Luke Ching Chin Wai renews call to restore “meal-break pay”
戴起橡膠手套、套上生日帽，早前被麥當勞以違反員工使用社交平台指引為由解僱的本地藝術家程展緯，連同多個民間組織發起的「我們的M記聯盟」（下稱「聯盟」），周六（8日）舉辦屬於香港市民的「麥當勞生日會」，宣布成立聯盟，盼推動麥當勞改革，恢復「飯鐘錢」、改善勞工權益、承擔更多環保責任等。
Wearing rubber gloves and a birthday hat, local artist Luke Ching Chin Wai, who was previously dismissed by McDonald’s for violating its guidelines on employees’ use of social media, joined several civic organisations in launching “Our McDonald’s Alliance” (the “Alliance”). The group held a “McDonald’s Birthday Party for Hong Kong People” on Saturday (8th), announcing the formation of the Alliance and expressing hope that it would push McDonald’s to reform, restore “meal-break pay”, improve labour rights and take on greater environmental responsibility.
Translations are supplied by the source workbook. Consult the original reporting for context.
