XN000022-1987-05-27 — Page 27

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1987

FRAUDULENT PRACTICES OF EMPLOYMENT STAMPED OUT

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THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE STEPS TO STAMP OUT FRAUDULENT PRACTICES CONNECTED WITH THE EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON MRS SELINA CHOW, MR JEAFFRESON SAID STATISTICS AS REGARDS PROSECUTION OF FRAUDULENT PRACTICES HAD ONLY BEEN KEPT SINCE MID-1985.

SINCE THEN, 204 FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS, REPRESENTING 15.6 PER CENT OF THOSE INVESTIGATED, HAD BEEN PROSECUTED FOR TAKING UP UNAPPROVED EMPLOYMENT AND FURNISHING FALSE CONTRACTS, HE SAID.

DURING THE SAME PERIOD, HE ADDED, 50 BOGUS EMPLOYERS, REPRESENTING 41.3 PER CENT OF THOSE INVESTIGATED, WERE PROSECUTED FOR SIGNING FALSE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS WITH FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS.

TO STAMP OUT SUCH FRAUDULENT PRACTICES, MR JEAFFRESON SAID THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT HAD ESTABLISHED A TASK FORCE TO INVESTIGATE SUCH OFFENCES. THE TASK FORCE WOULD VISIT ESTABLISHMENTS WHERE FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS MIGHT BE WORKING ILLEGALLY AND WOULD INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS TAKING UP EMPLOYMENT OTHER THAN DOMESTIC SERVICE OR WORKING AS DOMESTIC SERVANTS FOR EMPLOYERS OTHER THAN THOSE IN THEIR OFFICIAL CONTRACTS, HE SAID.

+ALL THOSE DOMESTIC HELPERS SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTED WILL BE RETURNED TO THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN AND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED INTO HONG KONG AGAIN TO WORK.

+EMPLOYERS WHO ARE SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTED WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO EMPLOY FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS,+ HE ADDED.

HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE RECENTLY REVISED CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT LIMITING THE STAY OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS NORMALLY TO TWO WEEKS OR LESS AFTER A CONTRACT WAS TERMINATED SHOULD ALSO HELP REDUCE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS TO WORK ILLEGALLY OUTSIDE THEIR CONTRACTS.

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