Hong Kong (AFP)
Thousands of staff at Kong Kong public hospitals voted on Saturday to strike if their demands, including the closure of the border with mainland China where the epidemic has left 259 dead, are not met .
Fourteen cases of contamination by the coronavirus were confirmed on Saturday in the territory, where 112 people were in quarantine.
More than 3,000 staff from public hospitals, including doctors and nurses, voted in favor of a work stoppage in case the government did not accede to their requests.
Unless action is taken at the source of the contamination, "the means to prevent the epidemic and the human resources will not be sufficient," said Winnie Yu, president of the Hospital Administration Employees Alliance. (HAEA).
"We don't want to go on strike, but the government has ignored the demands of the frontline medical staff. We have no choice," said Ms. Yu.
Representatives from HAEA, a new union confederation, are scheduled to meet with their employer, the Hong Kong City Hospital Administration, on Sunday for negotiations.
According to the union, 9,000 of its members support the strike.
If no agreement is reached, 30% of them, who do not perform essential tasks, will stop work on Monday. The others, who work in the emergency services, will later join a four-day strike.
Hong Kong's loyal Beijing government has refused to completely close the border with mainland China, contrary to popular demand. The executive, however, has closed six of the 14 crossing points with mainland China. Hong Kong executive chief Carrie Lam said on Friday that a total closure was not realistic.
© 2020 AFP