MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1985
ACTION AGAINST I EMPLOYMENT STEPPED UP
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THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT IS STEPPING UP ACTION AGAINST THE EMPLOYMENT OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN BOTH INDUSTRIAL AND NON-INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS.
MR CHOW TUNG-SHAN, SENIOR LABOUR OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LABOUR INSPECTORATE SAID TODAY (MONDAY) THAT SPECIAL EMPHASIS WOULD BE GIVEN TO TRADES WHERE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE LIKELY TO BE EMPLOYED.
HE SAID THIS WAS IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR CHECKS BY LABOUR INSPECTORS ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONS WITHOUT VALID PROOF OF IDENTITY.
MR CHOW SAID THE PRIORITY OF THE DIVISION'S WORK WAS UNDER CONSTANT REVIEW AND AT THE PRESENT MOMENT, THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW PROHIBITING THE EMPLOYMENT OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DID RECEIVE HIGH PRIORITY.
IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER ALONE, MR CHOW SAID, SOME 8 921 INSPECTIONS WERE MADE BY THE LABOUR INSPECTORS TO BOTH INDUSTRIAL AND NON-INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS, RANGING FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES AND FACTORIES TO COOKED-FOOD STALLS AND GARAGES,
AS A RESULT, 17 EMPLOYEES IN 16 ESTABLISHMENTS WERE DISCOVERED TO HAVE NO PROOF OF IDENTITY AND WERE REFERRED TO THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS.
THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT ALSO TOOK OUT SEVEN PROSECUTIONS LAST MONTH AGAINST EMPLOYERS WHO FAILED TO KEEP A PROPER RECORD OF THE IR EMPLOYEES.
MR CHOW REITERATED THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO FIND A JOB IN HONG KONG. +EVEN IF THEY WOULD GET AWAY FOR A SHORT WHILE, THEY WOULD SOON BE DISCOVERED, HE SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE PENALTY FOR EMPLOYING IP'S WAS SO SEVERE AND THE CHANCE OF BEING DISCOVERED SO HIGH THAT NO EMPLOYER IN HIS RIGHT MIND WOULD EVER CONSIDER DOING IT.
UNDER THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE, HE SAID, ALL EMPLOYERS ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP AN UP-TO-DATE RÉCORD OF ALL THE PEOPLE THEY EMPLOY IN THE PLACE OF WORK.
THE RECORD MUST CONTAIN THE NAMES OF ALL EMPLOYEES THE TYPE OF IDENTITY DOCUMENTS THEY USE AND THE NUMBER OF SUCH DOCUMENTS.
/+LABOUR INSPECTORS