Originally Posted By jlghk Some HKDL cast members with their union leader have just held a press conference. They complaint that the dancers who performed on stage could earn HK$2000 i.e. US$258 more than the parade dancers¡¦ wages. They said that it was not fair to the parade dancers. (parade dancers¡¦ wages - HK$9000/month i.e. US$1160/month). What is practice in other Disney theme parks?
Originally Posted By Mr X Well, anyway sounds like the money is crap... In Tokyo, regular Japanese performers make at LEAST 2500-3000 U.S. per month, while foreign performers make over four thousand dollars per month at least. What do the FOREIGN performers make in Hong Kong? From what I'VE heard, they make even more than in Tokyo. So... There you have it. I say, STRIKE!
Originally Posted By Mr X >>>They complaint that the dancers who performed on stage could earn HK$2000 i.e. US$258 more than the parade dancers¡¦ wages. They said that it was not fair to the parade dancers.<<< Is that per day? Per week?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I am sure those parade dancers are making much more now than if they had stayed at home in the Phillipines...
Originally Posted By wildghostz its the real thing that you have to be tough enough to live in HK. Its the way of how HK people live.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Wow, that's pretty low considering Hong Kong is like the second or third most expensive city in the world to live. The 3 weeks I was there in purgatory, I easily spent upwards of $1,200 and the most expensive thing I did there was ironically Disney .
Originally Posted By jlghk You could recognise the parade dancers in HKDL are FILIPINOS. You are quite smart!
Originally Posted By gardabble There's even more labor problems with characters not just parade dancers. Read here below: Hong Kong Disneyland-Injured Characters Actors playing Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck have been denied paid leave by Hong Kong Disneyland after suffering costume-related injuries because their occupation isn't covered by labor laws. The character performers suffered muscle, neck and waist problems from working long hours and wearing heavy costumes, but the park doesn't grant paid leave because Hong Kong law doesn't recognize the occupational hazards of their profession. Workers were asked to take unpaid leave, even though some were advised by doctors to rest. The performers' union said in a statement the character actors work 12 hour days and have to cope with quick turnarounds after getting off late. Hong Kong Disneyland said in a statement it follows ``regulatory guidelines and market practice,'' and works with physiotherapy experts to prevent injuries. It said it plans to adjust rest times based on heat and humidity and is testing cooling vests. The union said the actors, who greet guests and appear in parades, are paid an entry salary of about 9,000 Hong Kong dollars a month. The union urged the Hong Kong government to upgrade its occupational safety laws to reflect the ``special job nature of character performers.'' Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in September, is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Co. and the Hong Kong government. 10/04/2006 04:42 PM Source: Metro Broadcast Corp Ltd - Copyright 2006
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand >>>>>>>Wow, that's pretty low considering Hong Kong is like the second or third most expensive city in the world to live According to CNN Money. 2005 ranking for the most expensive(cost of living) city: 1. Tokyo, Japan 2. Osaka, Japan 3. London, UK 4. Moscow, Russia 5. Seoul, South Korea 6. Geneva, Switzerland 7. Zurich, Switzerland 8. Copenhagen, Denmark 9. Hong Kong, Hong Kong 10.Oslo, Norway Hong Kong fell to no. 9 from Top 2 or Top 3 in 2005.
Originally Posted By SuperDry I think these rankings deserve a bit of clarification. They usually are measuring the cost of having a foreign white-collar worker live in that city temporarily in a manner that they are accustomed to (I confirmed that this CNN survey was measuring this). This may have little to do with what it costs to live there as a local. For example, I doubt that the average wage in Russia is the forth largest. I also doubt that the foreign performers at HKDL have a same standard of living as a visiting western executive.
Originally Posted By irishfan >>This may have little to do with what it costs to live there as a local. For example, I doubt that the average wage in Russia is the forth largest.<< In fairness though, Moscow and Russia are two different things, so to speak. Having visited there last year, the sheer wealth of the place blew me away.
Originally Posted By paulyahoo I can confirm that the wage of US$3-4K/month is nothing unusual in Moscow. Add to this a flat-rate income tax (13%) and you'll be able to understand why it's almost impossible to buy a good APARTMENT in the center of Moscow for less than $400K.
Originally Posted By jlghk Let me relay some other HKDL cast members¡¦voices from another source. The following are extracted from a HK discussion forum in which a couple of cast members used to hang around. Some of them work in the hotel, park, & entertainment. I believe they are all young school leavers, and they don¡¦t have much working experience before joining HKDL. 1. An ordinary cast member can have 20% off discount on HKDL merchandise items 2. A Managerial grade staff of HKDL can have 35% off discount on the merchandise 3. Some of them said that they wanted to learn something new or gain working experience in HKDL. But they were rather disappointed after joining HKDL for about 9 months. 4. They said that the senior manager did not respect the characters, because they didn¡¦t have any working experience but they could make HK$9000/month. (An average fresh graduate from university can only make about HK$8000/month i.e. US$1031/month in HK). 5. The hot summer is coming. More and more cast members who wear the heavy costumes will not be able to stand the high outdoor temperature. They could foresee a no. of cast members might quit HKDL, and a lot of cast member vacancies would appear at HKDL official website soon.
