XN000022-1990-07-04 — Page 5

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 1990

AT PRESENT, THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL STEERING GROUP ON THE IMPORTATION OF LABOUR UNDER HIS CHAIRMANSHIP WAS AIMING TO LAUNCH THE SCHEMES BY INVITING APPLICATIONS IN THE THIRD WEEK OF JULY.

EMPLOYERS WOULD BE ALLOWED ABOUT A MONTH WITHIN WHICH TO LODGE APPLICATIONS WITH THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT, AND IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT A MONTH FOR ALL APPLICATIONS TO BE EXAMINED.

ONCE AN APPLICATION HAD BEEN APPROVED, THE EMPLOYER WOULD BE NOTIFIED AND ALLOWED A FURTHER PERIOD OF UP что THREE MONTHS WITHIN WHICH TO SOURCE LABOUR AND TO APPLY FOR VISAS.

THIS SECOND STEP WOULD TAKE BETWEEN THREE то FIVE WEEKS, DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF VISAS NEEDING TO BE PROCESSED.

IN SHORT,

THE ESTIMATED TIME REQUIRED FOR THE TWO PROCESSES SHOULD NOT EXCEED TWO MONTHS, HE SAID.

MR YEUNG SAID THE FIRST OF THE TWO MEASURES ΤΟ SIMPLIFY PROCEDURES AND SPEED UP DECISION-MAKING WOULD BE THE PUBLICATION OF MEDIAN WAGES IN RESPECT OF TECHNICIANS, CRAFTSMEN AND EXPERIENCED OPERATIVES.

THIS WOULD PROVIDE EMPLOYERS WITH A READY BENCHMARK AGAINST WHICH THEY COULD OFFER WAGES FOR IMPORTED LABOUR.

IT WOULD ALSO GIVE LOCAL WORKERS AN ASSURANCE THAT THEY WOULD COME UNDER NO THREAT OF LOW-WAGE COMPETITION.

THE SECOND MEASURE WAS REMOVAL OF THE REQUIREMENT THAT A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER MUST NOT ALLOW MORE THAN 20 PER CENT OF JOBS IN HIS BUSINESS TO BE FILLED BY IMPORTED WORKERS. THIS SHOULD REMOVE A SOURCE OF QUOTA UNDER-UTILISATION, HE SAID.

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ON THE CREATION OF SAFEGUARDS TO PREVENT FOREIGN WORKERS BEING ABUSED OR EXPLOITED, MR YEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN OPPORTUNITY TO AMEND THE EXISTING STANDARD CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT STIPULATING THAT ACCOMMODATION MUST BE PROVIDED BY THE EMPLOYER CERTAIN STANDARDS AND BY EMPHASISING THAT EMPLOYERS MAY NOT MAKE REDUCTION FROM THE WAGES OF THEIR EMPLOYEES, SAVE FOR THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOWED UNDER SECTION 32 OF THE EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCE.

"I RECOGNISE THAT THIS MAY CREATE SOME PROBLEMS FOR THOSE EMPLOYERS WHO HAVE TO RELY ON EXTERNAL AGENCIES AND COMPANIES TO FIND WORKERS FOR THEM, BECAUSE THEIR PRACTICE IS TO CHARGE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF THE WORKERS' PAY AS A FEE FOR THEIR PROCUREMENT SERVICES.

"I AM CONFIDENT, HOWEVER, THAT THESE DIFFICULTIES CAN BE OVERCOME. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE THE EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCE DOES NOT PERMIT AN EMPLOYER TO DEDUCT WAGES AUTOMATICALLY FOR REMITTANCE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTION IF AN EMPLOYER WERE TO REMIT A PART OF HIS EMPLOYEES' WAGES PROVIDED THAT THIS IS DONE AT THE EXPLICIT REQUESTS OF HIS EMPLOYEES.

/IN OTHER