The MTR on Wednesday announced it will offer its non-managerial staff a pay hike of between 2.06 and 6.15 percent, depending on their performance.

Most of them will also be entitled to a special bonus, amounting to between 1.3 and 1.97 months’ worth of their salary.

The railway giant said it made the decision after taking into account factors like the company’s performance, market and economic situation as well as the outcome of a pay trend survey.

But representatives from the Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions were unhappy with the hike, and walked out of a meeting with the MTR’s management.

Its chairman, Lam Wai-keung, said the union had expected a seven percent increase, noting that a substantial pay rise is needed to compensate a salary freeze from 2019 to 2021, as well as retain talent.

“What we do is technically specialised. Each of our colleagues need seven to eight years to learn the skills. Has the company come up with any policies to try and retain talent? I cannot see it in this salary review,” he said.