Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 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
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×