HK principal fired over SAFRA Jurong swearing incident seeks over $154,000 in unfair dismissal claim

A principal in Hong Kong who was fired for swearing at security guards during a school trip to Singapore is demanding more than $154,000 from his former school board in an unfair dismissal claim, according to media reports.Lee Cheuk-hing, the former principal of San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School, was caught on camera hurling profanities at security guards at SAFRA Jurong in May.Media outlet HK01 reported that he was in Singapore with about 35 students and some teachers from his school for a study tour from May 20 to 24 when the incident occurred.Lee was initially suspended from his post after the school board found that his performance fell short of public expectations. He submitted his resignation, which was rejected, and was sacked in June.The former principal argued that his dismissal was unreasonable and took his case to the Labour Tribunal, demanding about HK$960,000 (S$154,700) in compensation, HK01 reported.His case was briefly heard at Hong Kong’s Labour Tribunal office on Sept 8.Lee claims he was unfairly dismissed without proper notice, and he is seeking back pay and long-service compensation.His trial is scheduled to start on Dec 1.In a video posted on the Threads social media platform on May 23, a man standing at the doorway of a bus is seen arguing with two women on the street in SAFRA security uniforms.The women can be heard saying that the bus has to move “behind”. The man then tells them to “shut up” and hurls several phrases in Cantonese at them, including swear words, before making faces and taunting them to get on the bus.Netizens identified the man as Lee.On May 26, SAFRA confirmed that an incident involving a bus and its appointed security personnel took place at its Jurong recreational club on May 22.After the incident, the Union of Security Employees in Singapore on May 30 said it strongly condemns any form of abuse towards security officers, adding that it had visited SAFRA Jurong to show its support to the security officers involved.