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Ambrose Li

Hong Kong authorities have cancelled the latest round of applications for a scheme to bring in construction workers from outside the city, days after accusations emerged that migrant labourers were being exploited.
The scheme also came under fresh pressure as a lawmaker on Saturday morning called for it to be halted and warned of potential loopholes that allowed for such workers to be exploited.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the night before that authorities would examine whether construction companies had attempted to recruit locally before applying as per the scheme’s requirements.
The government would also look into whether there was a genuine need for imported labour, he said.
“The latest or fifth round of applications opened in July. Having examined these factors in detail, the Development Bureau decided that no quota would be granted for this batch of applications,” Sun wrote on social media.
He stressed that bringing in more workers was critical in tackling labour shortages, adding the government had a responsibility to ensure the rights of such workers were protected in light of the recent allegations of exploitation.
“I have commissioned Undersecretary for Labour and Welfare Ho Kai-ming, in conjunction with the Security Bureau, the Development Bureau, police and the Labour Department, to meet with representatives of trade unions immediately and refer suspected cases of legal violations to law enforcement agencies for investigation,” the minister said.
Sun also said the government would set up an interdepartmental task force to address the situation.
The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said on Wednesday that it had received nearly 100 complaints from workers allegedly being exploited by management companies.
Some of the workers said they had their debit cards taken by employers and half their salaries stolen, it added.

Union chairman Chau Sze-kit said other complaints included employers making workers pay for training, transport and tools for work, with such cases being reported to the organisation since March.
Some workers also reported being asked to work more than their 24 contracted days a month, while only getting paid for the 24 days, he said.
“If they wanted time off outside the 24 days, their salaries could be reduced from the 24-day pay,” Chau added.
He said some of the complainants had been hired to work on the construction of Hong Kong airport’s third runway.
Another 20 workers hired to work on a Kai Tak construction site alleged they were asked to each pay HK$8,500 (US$1,090) in training fees after completing a five-day safety course, the union chairman said.
Chau said none of the workers were willing to lodge formal complaints to authorities over concerns they could lose their jobs.
Lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu called for a halt on the labour import scheme, arguing the current worker protections were “not ideal” and prone to loopholes.
“If employers get the impression that there is ample room for exploitation when hiring them, they will want to hire them for the long term to cut costs and not to supplement our workforce,” he told a radio programme on Saturday.
“This will be a hit to the local workforce, too.”
Tang said the number of local construction projects had greatly reduced.

He also cited Construction Industry Council figures that showed the number of local construction workers at sites in the city had fallen from 270,000 a year ago to 190,000 as of the latest data from July.
The lawmaker urged authorities to explore alternative pay arrangements to prevent workers’ salaries being halved by management companies when they “helped” transfer the money from Hong Kong to the mainland.
“Do they have to be paid directly in Hong Kong? Could the salary go straight to their accounts on the mainland?” he said.
Legislator and trade unionist Lam Chun-sing said the government should leave no stone unturned in addressing the allegations of exploitation, adding that officials should look into whether such actions involved syndicate operations.
“We hope authorities can investigate as to whether the employers or the contractors know about this,” Lam said.
“At the very least, the Labour Department or Development Bureau should examine how the agents [on the mainland] and management companies operate in [handling imported labour].”
Godfrey Leung King-kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Construction Association, said the government’s decision was “sudden”.
“If the government doesn’t approve [imported labour], progress will be affected to some extent. Costs will also go up too, as they will be incurred if a project takes longer to complete,” Leung warned.
He said he was not aware of the exploitation described by the union, urging the government to speed up public construction projects to prevent the sector from slowing down.
The government’s latest decision coincides with a decrease in private building projects amid persistent economic gloom.
The architectural sector made similar calls last month, warning that some firms had been forced to lay off employees as private work stalled.
The Development Bureau said it had not approved any of the 18 applications for imported labour, involving 1,750 people, in the latest round. It added the scheme was only a “supplementary measure” for the sector’s manpower.
“The rollout of [the scheme] was not only fixated on the short-term economic situation and manpower demand, but the prediction for the number of projects and manpower demand and supply over the next few years,” a spokesman from the bureau said.
He said the bureau could issue administrative penalties to the accused companies, such as revoking approved quotas and banning future applications, before charges were laid.
A spokeswoman from the Construction Industry Council said it maintained a “zero-tolerance attitude” towards labour exploitation and had arranged for government departments related to give talks on topics such as employment rights and occupational safety for foreign workers brought in under the scheme.
Additional reporting by Jess Ma


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Hong Kong suspends construction labour import scheme applications amid exploitation claims

A union has raised allegations of migrant workers being exploited by management companies. Photo: Jelly Tse

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun has said authorities will examine whether construction companies have attempted to recruit locally before applying as per the scheme’s requirements. Photo: Edmond So

A lawmaker has said the number of construction projects in the city has greatly reduced. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Some of the migrant workers who were allegedly exploited were hired to work on the construction of Hong Kong International Airport’s third runway. Photo: May Tse

Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, revealed the union had received nearly 100 complaints from workers of alleged exploitation. Photo: Sun Yeung

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Labour minister Chris Sun responds after allegations emerge over workers having debit cards seized and salaries stolen, among other claims


Labour minister Chris Sun responds after allegations emerge over workers having debit cards seized and salaries stolen, among other claims.


Hong Kong workers and labour rights

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