That came in the wake of a 46-year-old Star Ferry captain, Chung Wai-ming, collapsing in the early hours of Wednesday on a ferry and being certified dead in hospital on his 23rd consecutive working day.

Star Ferry employees work on a 30-day roster, requiring them to spend 10 days on a morning shift, 10 on afternoons, five days on a overnight shift and then five days off.

Fan Keung, chairman of the Small Craft Workers Union, said yesterday that the ferry company had consulted workers whether they preferred a six-day cycle - five days' working and then a day off - but most supported the current arrangement.

Some workers even contacted the union after the incident, worrying that working hours might be changed and hoped the ferry company would allow them to choose, Fan added.

But Siu Sin-man, executive director of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said she was shocked by the arrangement.

She believes that unless there is an emergency situation that requires enhanced ferry services it was not reasonable to require staff to work for 25 consecutive days.

"Even if the staff do not work overtime, the company should still consider commuting time, workers' adaptability between shifts and the physical load on their bodies," Siu said.

But taking into account the fact the workforce generally supported the existing arrangement, Siu added, the ferry company should provide two work schedules and allow employees to choose between them.

Yesterday also saw Chung's widow in a ceremony at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier to mourn her husband.

Then, after identifying Chung's body at Kwai Chung mortuary, the widow and the couple's two sons boarded the Northern Star at 2pm - the ferry on which her husband collapsed - to mourn him.

Accompanied by relatives and friends and led by a Taoist priest for a half-hour's observances, some family members cried: "Dad, please come back!"