Hong Kong MTR Corp’s HK$65 billion maintenance plan could be derailed by staffing crisis, lawmaker and industry leaders say
- Importing workers may cause more problems than it solves, according to legislator and rail union chairman
- Rail giant urged to improve working environment and employee pay and conditions
A manpower shortage is expected to hinder a HK$65 billion (US$8.3 billion) five-year plan drawn up by Hong Kong’s rail giant to improve the management of its assets, a lawmaker and industry leaders have said, while warning that importing workers will not provide a solution.
They dismissed on Thursday the MTR Corporation’s suggestion it would study the feasibility of recruiting outside workers to tackle staff vacancies in maintenance and repair that had climbed from 6 per cent in 2017 to 11 per cent last year.
Concerns about language barriers, qualifications and time for safety training were also highlighted.
“Language barriers hindering accurate communication is one thing, but more importantly, they don’t know how Hong Kong’s railway system works,” Henry Cheung Nin-sang, chairman of the Association of Hong Kong Railway Transport Professionals, said. “When they perform technical tasks on the tracks, it takes time for them to get familiar with the working environment and learn all the safety protocols.”
The MTR Corp will embark on the five-year expenditure plan, which marks a 20 per cent increase on spending in the past five years, to improve its rail asset management efficiency after high-profile penalties and service disruptions last year.
