Hong Kong must halt or review scheme to bring in workers, unions say

Trade unions have urged Hong Kong authorities to halt or review a scheme to bring in transport, retail and aviation workers from outside the city, following the suspension of such arrangements for the construction industry amid claims of exploitation of migrant labourers.

Calls from the unions to either withdraw the scheme or bring forward a review came as authorities cancelled the latest round of applications for importing construction workers.

The government launched the scheme to import a maximum of 20,000 workers, mainly from mainland China, for jobs in the construction, transport and aviation industries last July to ease labour shortages. It also expanded another scheme to bring in unskilled or low-skilled workers in 26 job categories.

More than 12,000 transport, aviation and construction workers have been brought in so far and the government earlier said the scheme would be reviewed two years after its launch.

But some unions slammed the scheme and expressed concerns about the impact on the local workforce.

“I think it would be best to put a stop to it now. The government did not say it would withdraw the scheme or anything,” said Lam Wai-kong, chairman of the Motor Transport Workers General Union under the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions.