Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Most MTR Corp employees in Hong Kong to get pay rise of at least 4.2 per cent

Hong Kong’s embattled MTR Corporation on Wednesday revealed most of its staff would get a pay rise of at least 4.2 per cent and a 1.3-month annual bonus this year.

The corporation’s offer, which followed a pay review for about 17,600 staff in Hong Kong, was the highest in three years. There were increases of 3.9 per cent last year and 3.8 per cent in 2017.

To mark the rail firm’s 40th anniversary this year, all staff will also be eligible for a 0.3-month bonus.

Salary increases range from 2.1 per cent to 6.3 per cent, with a little over one-third (35 per cent) of staff earning 5 per cent more and 15 per cent getting an extra 6.3 per cent.

Unions said they would accept the offer despite complaints their demands had not been met.

“The pay rise is a bit better than last year but the company has room to do even better because its profit was close to HK$10 billion last year,” said Lam Wai-keung, chairman of the pro-government Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions, which represents 4,000 MTR workers from four associations.

The federation had sought an overall pay rise of 7 to 8 per cent, demanded improvements in the pay review mechanism and for a gap in medical benefits between new staff and longer-serving employees to be closed.

Lam said the MTR Corp failed to respond to these demands.

“We want a direct dialogue with the CEO [Jacob Kam Chak-pui] over the needs of staff,” he said.

The MTR Corp said in a statement the pay review was based on salary trends of about 30 companies with a good reputation while taking reference to the market situation and the performance of the company and staff. The pay increases came into effect on July 1.

Profit from the corporation’s recurrent businesses jumped 5.1 per cent to HK$9 billion (US$1.14 billion) last year, mostly from operating urban rail services and managing commercial and residential properties.

It runs one of the busiest metro systems in the world, carrying 5.88 million passengers per weekday in Hong Kong.

Lam said he was very disappointed the management declined to restore workers’ overnight allowance to levels before the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 – 50 per cent of an employee’s daily pay – from the current 38 per cent.

“Even after increases in the past two years, the allowance has still not returned to pre-Sars levels,” he said. “The increases cannot offset the work pressure we have.”

The corporation underwent a senior management reshuffle in recent months, with Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen succeeding Frederick Ma Si-hang
as non-executive chairman on July 1 and Kam replacing Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen as CEO on April 1.

The changes at the top followed a construction scandal on the city’s most expensive rail project, the HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central link, which is still a subject of an ongoing investigation by police and a commission of inquiry.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×