Zeek employees seeking HK$13 million: union
The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) said about 300 workers have filed claims for wage arrears to the tune of HK$13 million with the delivery platform Zeek. Zeek has already stopped operations and is being wound up, and some staff have sought help with the FTU. At the centre of the controversy is whether workers were considered employees of the firm or self-employed. In a recent Labour Tribunal ruling, an adjudicator ruled that they were employees of Zeek. The FTU said because of the company's inability to pay outstanding wages and related payments, the government should step in, offering compensation to staff through the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund. The chairwoman of the Service Industry General Union under the FTU, Sara Wong, said the union was still receiving complaints about Zeek and other platforms, but the deadline to apply for the fund relating to Zeek has passed. "As a firm like Zeek, we already need so much time to work on. If there are really tens of thousands of workers who claim compensation, we dare not imagine how we could handle such a situation," she said. FTU lawmaker Michael Luk said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun should do more to protect gig workers. "I'm not saying he's dragging [his feet], but he's not proactive enough. As the bureau chief, he knows that this issue has been going on for several years now, and it's only getting worse," Luk said. He urged the government to take steps to revise the Employment Ordinance and the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, and consider regulating the business models of these platforms.