A Hong Kong Public Service union formed during the 2019 anti-Government protests has disbanded in the face of a requirement for public sector workers to pledge allegiance to the city and its mini-constitution.
Chair of the Union for New Civil Servants, Michael Ngan Mo-chau (pictured) announced the move in a Facebook post.
The Civil Service Bureau has told all employees hired before 1 July last year to make the pledge by mid-February.
It is already mandatory for those who joined since that date to sign a declaration pledging allegiance.
Those who refuse to sign could be sacked.
In his Facebook post Mr Ngan said according to what the Government had said, it was expected that officers of the union might not be able to remain in the Government, meaning they would also not be qualified to be union members and officers.
“In view of a possible situation of insufficient officers to protect members’ information, disbanding the union is a reluctant but necessary action,” Mr Ngan said.
A crackdown on dissent within the ranks of the Public Service has been escalating ever since thousands of employees joined anti-Government protests that erupted in June 2019 over a since-abandoned Extradition Bill.
However, the protests resulted in the mainland Chinese Government imposing a sweeping national security law, which punishes anything China considered to be subversion, secessionism, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with the penalty of up to life in prison.
Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing say the law is necessary to bring stability to the semi-autonomous former British colony after a year of anti-Government demonstrations.
However, Western Governments and rights groups are concerned that the security law is being used to crush dissent in the Chinese-ruled city.
Hong Kong, 17 January 2021
