THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1991
WITH
THE
10
STEPPED-UP EFFORTS TO SAFEGUARD INTERESTS OF IMPORTED WORKERS'
THE GOVERNMENT HAS STEPPED UP ITS EFFORTS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE
AND THE CONDITIONS OF THE LABOUR IMPORTATION SCHEMES
SAFEGUARD INTERESTS OF IMPORTED WORKERS.
THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND
AND MANPOWER, THE HON JOHN CHAN, AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON PANG CHUN-HOI, MR CHAN SAID
DEPARTMENT LABOUR
HAD RECENTLY SET UP AN ADDITIONAL SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT TEAM TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF INSPECTIONS.
THE
TEAMS VISITED
INSPECTORS OF THE SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT TRAMS LABOUR
AT THEIR IMPORTED WORKERS NOT ONLY AT THEIR PLACES OF WORK BUT ALSO PLACES OF RESIDENCE TO VERIFY WAGE RECORDS, CHECK ACCOMMODATION STANDARDS AND ENSURE THAT EMPLOYERS MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS, HE SAID.
то NOTING THAT PARTICULAR EMPHASIS HAD BEEN PLACED ON MEASURES TO PREVENT THE UNDERPAYMENT OR UNLAWFUL DEDUCTION OF WAGES, HE SAID, THE
AGAINST GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING STRENGTHENING THE SANCTIONS MALPRACTICES.
SUCH
ΤΟ ENSURE THAT ALL IMPORTED WORKERS WERE FULLY AWARE OF THEIR CONTRACTUAL RIGHTS, COPIES OF ACTUAL EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS WERE BRİNG DISTRIBUTED TO INDIVIDUAL WORKERS, TOGETHER WITH A LEAFLET SETTING OUT THEIR RIGHTS.
BESIDES,
THERE WERE TWO 24-HOUR TELEPHONE HOT-LINES WHICH THEY COULD LODGE COMPLAINTS.
THROUGH
MR
AN CHAN REITERATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING EXPANSION OF THE CONTROLLED SCHEME TO INPUT OVERSEAS WORKERS IN THOSE SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY WHERE THE LABOUR SHORTAGE WAS MOST ACUTE, STATED BY THE GOVERNOR LAST WEEK IN HIS POLICY ADDRESS.
AS
"NO CONCLUSIONS
HAVE YET BEEN REACHED ON HOW
THIS
MIGHT
BR
DONE," HE SAID.
A TOTAL OF ABOUT 13,700 WORKERS HAD BEEN IMPORTED SINCE OF THESE, 915 HAD HAD THEIR CONTRACTS TERMINATED PREMATURELY BY EMPLOYERS.
1989.
THEIR
UP
TO NOW, 52 IMPORTED WORKERS HAD BEEN REPORTED MISSING: OF THEM HAD SINCE BEEN FOUND AND REPATRIATED AND EFFORTS TO LOCATE THE REMAINING 46 WERE CONTINUING, MR CHAN SAID.
SIX
0
/11