Hong Kong construction workers’ union protests against move to import thousands of overseas workers
Hong Kong Free Press
A union representing building workers has staged a protest outside Hong Kong’s government headquarters against a move to import up to 20,000 foreign workers to ease shortages in the construction and transport sectors.
The unionists complained that authorities had bypassed the Labour Advisory Board, which is tasked with vetting applications to bring in overseas workers to ensure Hong Kong workers are first in line for positions.
The government announced last Tuesday a plan to import around 20,000 workers, up to 12,000 of whom would be employed in the construction industry, with priority given to manning large-scale public projects.
Around 12 representatives from the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union protested on Tuesday outside government headquarters, holding banners and placards calling for local workers to be protected. They handed in a petition.
Destroy existing mechanism
“The government bypassed the regular operations of the Labour Advisory Board, destroying the constantly effective mechanism. It will create a negative impact on monitoring foreign labour imports in the future,” a statement from the union read.
The union said it feared the large number of foreign workers being imported would discourage young Hongkongers from entering the industry.
The union urged the government to evaluate the new scheme’s impact on local employment and wage levels, and to set up advisory committees for each industry to review every application to bring in foreign workers.
“The government should set up a monitoring system to prevent foreign workers becoming cheap labour and stifling the employment of local workers,” the union said.
The government said the city’s peak labour force had dropped from 3.68 million in 2018 to 3.46 million last year while the low-skilled labour force had fallen by around 160,000 people.
The union suggested the construction industry improve the working environment, including putting more emphasis on safety to encourage local job-seekers.
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