2013-04-18
Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=234347§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
Is it possible to spend 12 hours operating a crane without toilet breaks and meal breaks？ Crane operators at the Kwai Tsing container port say that is what they have to do. It is one of the reasons why they went on strike. I thought the crane operators were exaggerating. The word exaggerate means to overstate, or to make something seem bigger, better, or worse than it really is. You are exaggerating if the diamond earrings you bought for your girlfriend cost $50,000 but you tell her they cost about $60,000.
L
ee Cheuk-yan of the Confederation of Trade Unions, who is helping the striking dock workers, said on my TV show it is not an exaggeration that crane operators must work 12 hours without toilet and meal breaks. A toilet break or meal break is when you stop your work to go to the toilet or eat lunch or dinner. People who smoke take cigarette breaks because smoking is not allowed inside buildings. A crane is a machine that is used to lift heavy things, such as a container. A crane operator is the person who uses the machine.
Lee Cheuk-yan told me crane operators must take toilet and meal breaks inside the tiny area of the crane where they operate the machine. If they want to urinate （pee （verb） in slang）, they must do it through the window of the crane area where they operate. If they want to have a bowel movement （defecate）, they must do it into a newspaper and throw it out the window onto the ground of the dock. I asked him what if the pee （noun） or the newspaper with the bowel movement hits another worker’s head. He just laughed. But what if after a bowel movement, the crane operator wants to take a meal break？ How can he wash his hands before his meal break？ It is not possible. I don’t think I want to be a crane operator working inside the tiny area of a crane for 12 hours without toilet or meal breaks even if the salary is $1 million a year！
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十二小時操作起重機（crane），沒有如廁時間（toilet breaks）和放飯時間（meal breaks），有可能嗎？在葵青貨櫃碼頭的吊機機手（crane operators）說這就是他們的工作，也是他們罷工的原因之一。我認為那些吊機機手（crane operators）誇大（exaggerating）了情況。Exaggerate這個字解作誇張或言過其實。如果你買來送給女友的鑽石耳環只值五萬，你卻跟她說它值六萬，你就是誇大其詞（exaggerating）。
職工會聯盟的李卓人正在協助碼頭工人，他在我的電視節目上明言這絕無誇大（exaggeration），吊機機手（crane operators）確要在沒有如廁和進餐時間（toilet and meal breaks）之下工作十二小時。Toilet break和meal break就是你停止工作，去如廁和午膳晚膳的時間。煙民會來個吸煙小休（cigarette breaks），因為室內不能吸煙。Crane就是起重機或吊機，crane operator就是吊機的操作員。
李卓人跟我說，吊機手（crane operators）必須於他們操作吊機（crane）的狹窄駕駛室內如廁和進食（toilet and meal breaks）。如果他們要小解（urinate，俗語是pee），就得撒向吊機（crane）駕駛室的窗外解決。他們要大解（bowel movement），則要大便在報紙上，再扔出窗外到碼頭地面。我問他，要是那泡尿（pee，名詞）或盛着大便的報紙擊中另一名工人的頭呢？他笑而不語。那麼，如果大便（bowel movement）後，吊機手（crane operator）想放飯（meal break）呢？他又如何在放飯（meal break）前洗手？這是不可能的。要我在吊機（crane）的狹窄空間內工作十二小時，還要沒有如廁和膳食時間，即使給我一百萬年薪，我也不想做吊機手（crane operator）！
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧