mayday rally 2011 (hongkong)

About 4,000 people took part in the annual May Day rally in Hong Kong, and about half of them were migrant workers. As in the past years, the protesters marched from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to the Central Government Office in Central to air their grievances. Members of the newly formed grassroots organization, the International Migrants Alliance, which is made up mostly by members of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, led the migrants who joined the rally. Despite the hot weather, the number of protesters this year was double that of last year's, said organizers. IMA spokesperson Eman Villanueva explained that it is because migrants now feel a bigger need to take to the streets since the economic crisis is being felt now more than ever. "We feel that it's about time to give us the $4,000 minimum salary that we have been demanding. Our salary has been frozen for a long time and it is even lower than the minimum allowable wage in 1998, " he said. Labor issues in Philippines and the inclusion of domestic workers in the International Labor Organization Convention were among those tackled by protesters through chants and placards. "Also included in our demands to the Hong Kong government is the provision of pension for everyone, the regulation of the number of working hours of migrants, and the stipulation for overtime should this number be exceeded " Villanueva stressed. Among those who caught the attention of many people, particularly pedestrians, was 80-something Melly Bonuel, a Filipino domestic helper who took part in the long walk from Causeway Bay to Central. Bonuel did not only show up in a red dress as requested by organizers, she also had a red handbag, and red shoes. She held up a placard saying, "Minimum wage for all! " One activist said that OFWs should learn a lesson from her. "If one elderly OFW could make a sacrifice for everyone's benefit, many more should join so our voices will be louder and there will be a bigger chance that the authorities would listen to us." Apart from IMA, religious groups also sent representatives, particularly the Jesus is Lord church and the Philippine Independent Church. The Indonesians, who now account for the biggest number of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, outnumbered their Filipino counterparts. They were the loudest and most decorated during the march. Loud drums and other instruments accompanied their chants. A commotion broke out when student protesters tried to stop in front of the Cheung Kong Center in Central, chanting that the building's owner and Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka Shing, was responsible for making the gap between the rich and the poor grow wider. They were herded on by police after a brief altercation. Among the protesters was an elderly Chinese woman who carried a bitter gourd. In broken English, she said that the gourd represented the marginalized sector. Sex workers were also represented by supporters carrying placards with the slogans "No discrimination against sex workers " and "No violence to sex workers. " Also present were members of the Hong Kong Federation of Students who waved banners that read, "One world, one struggle ". The protest ended with a short program in front of the CGO. Participants said more protests will be held if the government does not listen to their pleas and demands. published by the sun newspaper.. www.sunweb.com.hk