The issue prompted unionist lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan to make plans to go to Disneyland Saturday to distribute flyers urging staff to organize a labor union because of complaints he has received about labor practices.

"Disneyland is ignoring its frontline staff's basic needs," Lee said on Friday. "The only way to fight back is by uniting together."

Lee's Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions claims it has received 20 complaints from workers, saying Disney is ignoring their health needs along with other problems.

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"The number of complaints has been increasing in the past few weeks as Disney pressed the staff to work overtime before its opening," Lee said.

"The main complaint of the staff is not low salary or staff benefits," he said. "It is more about Disney not respecting them."

According to Lee, the staff are not allowed to use their cellphones inside the theme park, even during breaks.

Female workers must wear a skirt and tights, whereas trousers are allowed in the US parks, he said.

Also, staff complain they are prohibited from drinking water outside of breaks and the intervals between breaks and meals are too long.

Employees have also complained that they are barred from dying their hair, growing it long or sporting a beard, Lee said.

"I have to wait for four hours to drink water. We cannot even sip any water while working because Disney said we cannot let the guests see bottles of water. But is this more important than our health?" a Disney worker interviewed on Commercial Radio said.

Staff also say there is an inadequate number of staff washrooms, according to Lee, and employees are banned from using public toilets.

Hong Kong Disneyland is now one of the city's largest employers, with 5,000 staff on hand to operate the theme park, which formally opens Monday.

It sent 500 of its frontline staff to Disneyworld in Florida from January to June this year to teach them how to be "cultural representatives."

One such worker said the training was demeaning.

"I felt like I was being exploited," said the worker, who declined to give his name.

"I think the training is a marketing gimmick."

Most of his time, he said, was spent working for the Florida theme park for US$7 (HK$54.60) an hour with few hours devoted to real training.

"This is a really low wage in Florida," the worker complained.

"I totally lost my fantasy about the Magic Kingdom and just treated it as a job afterwards."

Hong Kong Disneyland public affair manager Esther Wong did not answer the accusations directly but said: "Cast members [staff] are the heart of Hong Kong Disneyland.

We are committed to ongoing open dialogue with our cast members and respect their needs.

"Our 5,000 cast members are busy creating the magic that will make our grand opening a success."