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Fiona Chow

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.
“The imported quota has already taken away vacancies from local drivers. On top of that, we were not able to supervise what was going on with the migrant labourers.”
Lam said the full quota of 1,700 workers – around 900 minibus drivers and another 800 working for coach companies – had been granted, and that he expected they would stay in Hong Kong for a long time.
The Transport Department said 850 of the workers had arrived in the city as of August, with 650 having completed their training and received driving licences.
Lam said the government had never given his union a list of the companies which had successfully hired imported drivers. He said unions were unable to locate the workers scattered among different minibus or coach routes.

The union was concerned whether the alleged exploitation that had emerged in the construction sector had also occurred to imported drivers, he added.
The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said on September 4 that it had received nearly 100 complaints from workers allegedly being exploited by management companies.
Some employees accused the companies of withholding half of their salary and asking them to work extra days without pay.
The complaints prompted the Development Bureau to suspend recent applications to bring in construction workers. Currently, 9,731 foreign employees have been brought in for the city’s public work sites.
Transport authorities said on Sunday that stakeholder consultative groups had been set up with industry representatives to take their advice on the scheme.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han noted that employers were required to transfer salaries directly to the migrant workers’ bank accounts, a practice authorities had set out to ensure staff were protected.
He said an interdepartmental task force had been set up to work with law enforcement to investigate the alleged exploitation.
Sun said the government had prioritised job opportunities for Hong Kong workers, as employers needed to submit proof to the authorities that they had failed to hire locally.
He added that employers who took in foreign labourers needed to bear the cost for training, accommodation and other fees, and that should make them more inclined to look at every possible way to hire local workers.
“The design of the scheme will not let employers cut costs, and that is the key to ensure they only hire foreign labourers when they cannot find suitable candidates to fill the manpower gap,” he said.

Li Wing-foo, chairman of the Staffs and Workers Union of Hong Kong Civil Airlines, said that while the Airport Authority had managed to ensure migrant workers’ pay and working hours were in line with contracts, local employees were still affected.
He said local workers had lost overtime pay of about HK$5,000 on top of their basic salary following the importation of labour. Some locals had also expressed concern about being replaced by the migrant workers, he added.
“[The government] must deploy a mechanism to have the scheme reviewed at any time,” he said.
According to the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the quota of 1,800 workers in the aviation sector was fully used, with around 1,700 workers taking up jobs by last month.
It said the authority would conduct a survey to assess the manpower needed in the future after the airport’s third runway system became operational by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, retail sector employees also voiced dissatisfaction over the scheme to bring in unskilled or low-skilled workers in 26 job categories, saying they hoped the government would suspend it before it was due for a review next year.
According to the Retail, Commerce and Clothing Industries General Union, more than 74 per cent of 177 respondents in a survey said the scheme had negatively hit their work, with around 109 saying their job opportunities and income were affected.
The union urged authorities to communicate with the various industries and carry out a full review on the current working conditions of locals.


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Hong Kong workers and labour rights

The government launched the scheme last year to import workers for jobs in the construction, transport and aviation industries. Photo: Edmond So

According to the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the quota of 1,800 workers in the aviation sector was fully used, with around 1,700 workers taking up jobs by last month. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong also has a shortage of minibus drivers. Photo: Edmond So

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

Hong Kong labour import scheme for low-skilled workers to undergo half-year review, according to advocacy group

Local workers raise concerns over a new labour import scheme. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The Society for Community Organisation met officials from the Labour Department to discuss the impact of the new scheme. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

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Hong Kong

Society

Trade unions in transport, retail and aviation sectors say scheme is affecting local workforce


Trade unions in transport, retail and aviation sectors say scheme is affecting local workforce.
