Retired worker rejects 'union puppet' claim in nurse row
Thestandard · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A retired Hong Kong healthcare worker has publicly denied being used by any union after his complaint about the job market for local nursing graduates triggered a political dispute. He said on a live radio program on September 29 that he was deeply offended by Executive Council member Tommy Cheung Yu-yan's suggestion that he was posing as an ordinary citizen. The caller, surnamed Kwok, also stressed that he did not intend to stir conflict between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese medical professionals. He said he remained grateful to mainland medical teams that helped Hong Kong during the hardest stages of the pandemic.
Key Points
- The dispute began after Kwok called into a radio phone-in program with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and questioned whether imported mainland nurses were reducing opportunities for local graduates.
- Tommy Cheung Yu-yan later told newspapers that Hong Kong's shortage of medical staff was beyond dispute and suggested Kwok was a union representative masquerading as an ordinary resident.
- In a follow-up live radio appearance on the morning of September 29, Kwok said he had never been a member, officer, or representative of any healthcare union.
- Kwok said he was a traditional patriot and firmly pro-establishment, and added that he would offer a sincere apology if mainland colleagues in Hong Kong felt insulted.
- He said Cheung's wording was demeaning because accusing someone of pretending to be a person effectively treated that person as an object or livestock.
Why It Matters
The row touches on two sensitive issues in Hong Kong at once: persistent healthcare staffing shortages and public concern over whether local graduates can still find openings in the system. It also shows how quickly debate over manpower policy can become entangled with questions of political loyalty and relations between Hong Kong and mainland professionals.