Over 120 imported construction workers say Hong Kong agents are cheating them out of wages, union urges gov’t action
Hong Kong Free Press
More than 120 imported construction workers have complained that Hong Kong agents have been cheating them out of wages or imposing extra charges, while some have allegedly been fired for complaining, a Hong Kong labour union has said.
Some of the non-local workers were scared and desperate, according to members of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. None of the workers involved appeared and the union said they had been threatened by agents, with some of fired after reporting the issue to agents or main contractors.
“The union feels very angry and disappointed that those management agents bullied and exploited non-local workers. Those workers came to work in Hong Kong, miles from home,” the union said in Chinese in a statement, adding that workers deserved to enjoy the rights and benefits guaranteed by the government’s non-local labour schemes.
Chiu Kin-keung, vice chairman of the union, told HKFP on Thursday it had received more than 120 reports from non-local construction workers as of noon that day.
“More reports were coming in after we held the press conference yesterday, ” Chiu said in Cantonese. “If they were not feeling very desperate, these workers would not have come to us. They are very scared as they are not familiar with Hong Kong’s institutions and regulations.”
Hong Kong sought to tackle a widespread labour crunch last year by significantly increasing the quota of non-local labour for certain industries, and expanding the labour sectors allowed to recruit outside the city.
Following the introduction of the Labour Importation Scheme for the construction sector last July, 9,731 non-local workers have arrived to work on various construction sites, according to government data.
Under the scheme, non-local workers should 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.
According to the union, dozens of workers employed to work on the airport’s third runway reported that once they received their monthly wages the agent required them to hand over their ATM cards and subtracted half the amount.
“Three months after the agent withdrew part of their wage, the agent asked all workers to sign a paper confirming all wages had been well received. Some workers refused to sign and the agent threaten to fire them, ” the union said during the press conference.
Chiu told HKFP that some of the workers had been fired and sent back to mainland China.
Separately, 20 workers told the union they had been charged extra training fees and required to work two extra unpaid days every month.
Some other workers complained they had to buy work tools and pay transportation fees, the union said, adding that workers had been fired after filing complaints.
“The union believes that those seeking help are only the tip of the iceberg, ” it said, adding that it had consulted the Labour Department for legal advice.
HKFP has reached out to the Development Bureau for a response.
Tough winter for the construction industry
Chiu told HKFP that since the start of the new scheme to employ non-local labour, the construction industry has suffered a slump in business.
“Since last June, many property developers stopped developing new projects, partly because the interest rate is too high and they can’t afford loans, ” Chiu said. The union had suggested to the Development Bureau that the quota for non-local construction workers be cut.
“While local business is so slow, imports of non-local workers will harm the jobs of local labourers,” Chiu said.
Last month a group representing Hong Kong architects appealed to the government to speed up capital works projects and outsource more work to the private sector, to compensate for a dearth of jobs and widespread layoffs in the construction sector.
“The local architectural practices are undoubtedly facing an extremely difficult time and some of them are already at the tipping point in their survival battle,” it said in a letter to Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn.
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