Hong Kong halts further import of non-local construction workers after allegations of exploitation
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong authorities have halted a scheme to import construction workers from outside the city after more than 120 migrant labourers complained of being cheated out of wages.
The move was welcomed by the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, which held a press conference last Wednesday detailing the allegations raised by the affected imported construction workers.
The union’s Rights and Complaints Officer Ryan Ng told RTHK on Monday that various government departments, including the Development Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, and the police were investigating the claims. But he also said the struggling architecture and property sectors had played a role in the suspension.
The Development Bureau said on Sunday that none of the 18 applications for about 1,750 non-local workers had been approved in the latest round.
“In processing each application, the Development Bureau will examine whether the applicant has first conducted local recruitment in accordance with the requirements announced by the Government and failed to recruit the required labour, and whether there is a genuine need for imported labour for the project,” the statement read in Chinese.
The bureau set a total quota of 12,000 workers last July to ease a manpower crunch in the construction sector. The government has approved 9,731 workers to date.
Under the scheme, non-local workers are required to seek jobs in Hong Kong through authorised mainland Chinese agents. Once they arrive in Hong Kong, employers will usually commission local agents to manage them.
The union said last Wednesday that agents had threatened to fire workers after taking some of their wages, and that some workers had been charged extra fees and made to work without pay. None of the workers involved appeared at the press conference out of fear of reprisals, the union said.
Struggling sector, underemployment
The Development Bureau said it had the ability to cancel quotas or suspend new applications before prosecutions were completed, and that contractors found to have breached the law would stand a lower chance at winning tenders in the future.
“We call on the relevant parties to report the cases to government departments, and the Administration will take a serious view of the matter,” the spokesperson said, adding that the Development Bureau had met with the Labour and Welfare Bureau as well as trade unions.
It had also referred suspected cases of non-compliance to the police for investigation, adding that an inter-departmental task force would be set up to handle related cases.
Union officer Ng said the exploitation allegations were not the only reason behind the halt in new labour imports, pointing to the property market downturn. The union had earlier said that developers were not starting new projects because of high interest rates, and that introducing non-local labour would further affect local employment.
“From what I know, because property values are falling quite severely, some architects have been required to take unpaid leave, and some workers are underemployed,” Ng said. “I wouldn’t say the exploitation of non-local workers was the only reason for halting the quotas.”
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