Hong Kong taxi strike cancelled after union meets government advisory body
City leader John Lee earlier urged top taxi union against taking any drastic action and to instead discuss solutions with transport advisory body
A Hong Kong taxi union has cancelled a strike planned for next month after a meeting with government advisers and a pledge from the city leader to enforce the law against illegal ride-hailing services, the group’s chairman has said.
The announcement by Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association chairman Wong Yu-ting on Wednesday followed Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s warning a day earlier against any drastic action by cab drivers.
Lee had also said the strike risked being “hijacked” by parties with ulterior motives and would not enjoy public support. He had urged taxi drivers to find a solution with the Transport Advisory Committee at the meeting on Wednesday morning.
“We accept the chief executive’s remarks, in which he promised that he would execute and enforce the law to combat illegal ride-hailing services,” Wong said.
“I officially announce that the [planned strike] will be stopped … and would also like to apologise to those residents who felt uneasy after documents detailing our actions were inadvertently leaked.”
Last week, the association threatened to go on strike for five days starting on March 5 if authorities did not respond positively by this Wednesday. The union’s demands included a crackdown on unregulated ride-hailing services.