An ongoing strike by Hong Kong dock workers demanding a pay raise and protesting arduous working conditions is delivering a costly blow to the city's port operators and winning widespread support from the public. A few hundred workers began to camp inside the docks on March 28, 2013 after subcontractors for Hutchison International Terminals (HIT) which runs the docks, rejected their demand for a 100 Hong Kong dollars [12.88 US dollars] or 20 percent pay increase per eight-hour shift. The subcontracting companies countered with an offer of 5 percent, far below what workers expected. A survey among dock workers showed that they are willing to settle with a 10 percent [zh] rise. The workers, some of whom work 24-hour shifts, said that they haven't received raises since 2003 and their current salary is lower than what was paid in 1997. A judge has since rule that the striking workers cannot enter the ship terminals; protests continue on the street outside the entrance. HIT, which made a net profit of 2.2 billion HK dollars [zh] [283 million US dollars] from its terminal operation business in 2012, has refused [zh] to negotiate with the workers, insisting that the workers are not their employees but employees of the subcontracting companies. Those companies receive a service charge of 3.2 billion HK dollars [412 million US dollars] from HIT and spend only 710 million HK dollars [91 million US dollars] on dock workers. According to HIT, the strike is costing the company five million Hong Kong dollars [644,000 US dollars] a day. Hong Kong is the third busiest container port in the world, growing more than 50 percent between 2000 and 2012. But the growth has brought with it deteriorating working conditions because of what workers claim is exploitation by subcontractors. Below is a video by Yiuman Fung from inmediahk.net showing the strike on April 1, 2013: The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) explained the relation between terminal operators, subcontractors and workers in an illustration, maintaining that the terminal operators sole objective is to squeeze workers and make a profit. In the illustration, subcontractors appear as executors: Relation between dock operators, subcontractors and workers. Image by HKCTU Stories of worker mistreatment have circulated on social media and citizen media, alerting the public to the miserable working conditions at the docks. Since September 2012, dock workers started sharing their hardships on a Facebook page dedicated to collecting their stories. On October 2, 2012, one worker wrote [zh]: 當一個保安員月入過萬的時候 作為一個專業重型機械操作員日薪得 470 =470×26=12200 仲要係要求你連續做8小時冇食飯時間 冇福利 做得幾年週身病痛 冇醫療 你甘心做一個廉價勞工? 清醒一下 各位龍機判頭操作員 請你認真思考一下 The income of a security guard is now more than 10,000 Hong Kong dollars [1,288 US dollars] per month As a specialized operator of heavy machinery such as crane operator, our monthly salary is 470 HK dollars [61 US dollars] x 26 days = 12,200 HK dollars [1,572 US dollars] And we have to work continuously for eight hours without a meal break. There are no benefits and after a few years, you develop pain all over your body and there is no medical insurance. Do you want to remain cheap labor? Wake up crane operator drivers, please reflect on the situation. The seat of crane operator uploaded by a dock worker to Facebook. One worker uploaded a photo of the shabby crane operator seat [zh] that he is provided to Facebook on November 26, 2012: 爛成咁又唔換，一日要坐12個鐘 長期累月條腰就出問題 你班中層年尾出三四個月花紅， 連果一千幾百都慳 I have to sit on it 12 hours a day. Will develop back problems in the long run. The management class have 3-4 months bonus at the year end. But they refuse to change the seat to save a few hundred dollars. After a container truck driver died in his diver seat on January 19, 2013, a worker uploaded the news and commented [zh]: 呢個係一個警惕，碼頭呢行人工低時間長 身體有事就休息下，唔駛同佢搏命 不過都要同當時人講聲，[一路好走] This is a warning. Low salary and long working hours at the dock If you are sick, rest, don't risk your life. Rest in peace, fellow worker.