Fireworks but no workers’ marches on Labour Day (1 May) in the 'new' Hong Kong

Not even pro-Beijing trade unions are marching for workers' rights fearing “unrest”. All the attention is on mainland tourists, for whom the city (weather permitting) will launch a new cycle of fireworks displays at the port with an unprecedented budget.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – Spectacular fireworks (weather permitting) with combinations of lights created with drones over the sky will mark Labour Day (1 May) in Hong Kong under the territory’s national security law, with very little room for initiatives in favour of workers' rights.

Until 2019, political parties and workers' groups across the political spectrum organised events in the former British colony for Labour Day to promote workers' rights.

This came to an abrupt stop, officially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But on this Labour Day, the first without restrictions on gatherings, no march is scheduled for workers' rights.

With the trade unionists associated with the pro-democracy movement in jail and the Hong Kong Trade Union Confederation forced to dissolve to avoid repression, even pro-mainland workers' organisations decided to scrap their rally.

One of them, the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, had initially applied for a permit to hold a march, which is necessary for all gatherings of more than 30 people.

But before it even got an “official” response, it decided to withdrew its application, ostensibly because only a dozen people had expressed interest in participating.

“[In the past] we had around 3,000 to 4,000 people taking part in our Labour Day marches. With such a large scale, is it possible to ensure safety?” said Kingsley Wong, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU), speaking to a local paper.

In such an atmosphere, tourists from mainland China are expected to fill the gap during the Labour Day Golden Week, a five-day break until Sunday, 5 May.

The Immigration Department expects some 5.7 million travellers in and out of Hong Kong between now and 5 May.

For 1 May, when the peak of visitors is expected, border authorities have limited the number of employees on leave while making work more flexible to facilitate the flow of people and vehicles, issuing 40 per cent more quotas to cross-border coach operators.

The promotional effort includes new fireworks on the evening of 1 May at Victoria Harbour, which should become a regular occurrence for all major holidays, part of a HK billion (US$ 130 million) investment by the local government to attract new visitors, especially from mainland China.

For now, the debut remains uncertain because bad weather is forecast for tomorrow evening.

Data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board shows that the number of mainland tourists in the last quarter of 2023 averaged around 80 per cent of what it was for the 2015-2019 period.

International tourists are back around 60 per cent with visitors from South and Southeast Asia showing the fastest growth, while those from Europe and the United States continue to lag behind.

Photo: A mock-up image by the Hong Kong Tourism Board showing Labour Day fireworks.

• hong kong
• china
• mainland
• may day
• workers
• unions
• rights
• tourism
• gold week