Hong Kong press union head sues former employer Wall Street Journal over firing
Selina Cheng has filed a suit against newspaper’s parent company Dow Jones Publishing Co after government decided against pressing charges
The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has launched a private prosecution against her former employer, The Wall Street Journal, accusing it of firing her over her union role, after the Labour Department refused to press charges.
Eastern Court on Thursday for the first time heard that Selina Cheng Kar-yue was accusing Dow Jones Publishing Co (Asia) of sacking her for exercising her right to be an officer of a trade union, which she said violated the Employment Ordinance. Cheng was a reporter with the Journal until her termination on July 17, 2024.
She also brought a second charge against her former employer for allegedly preventing or deterring her from exercising her right to become an officer of the union between June 21 and 22 last year.
The Post learned the Journal had allegedly pressured Cheng to drop out after she informed the company that she was running for the leadership at HKJA, a contest that eventually saw her elected as chairwoman on June 22.
The court heard Cheng had filed a complaint against Dow Jones to the Labour Department last November, but it eventually decided against prosecuting the company after it sought legal advice from the Department of Justice.
Dow Jones was expected to enter a plea on Thursday, but Kevin Lai, its legal representative, told Principal Magistrate Don So Man-lung that it would need more time to allow interested parties outside the Hong Kong jurisdiction to attend to the case.