XN000022-1992-01-09 — Page 8

7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1992

THE GOVERNMENT WILL SEEK TO INCREASE THE PENALTY FOR UNLAWFUL DEDUCTION AND UNDERPAYMENT OF WAGES - BY TENFOLD ΤΟ $100,000 AND $200,000 RESPECTIVELY BY INTRODUCING A BILL TO AMEND THE EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCE. OFFENDING EMPLOYERS WILL ALSO BE LIABLE TO ONE YEAR'S IMPRISONMENT.

IN ADDITION, EMPLOYERS WHO HAVE BREACHED THE CONDITIONS OF THE SCHEME WILL BE DEBARRED FROM TAKING PART IN FUTURE IMPORTATION SCHEMES.

+

THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO ASSIST IMPORTED WORKERS WHO HAVE BEEN EXPLOITED BY THEIR EMPLOYERS ΤΟ FIND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT.

"WE RECOGNISE HOWEVER THAT THIS MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE IN ALL CASES. WHERE A WORKER CANNOT BE PLACED WITHIN TWO MONTHS, HE WILL BE RETURNED TO HIS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AT THE EXPENSE OF HIS LAST EMPLOYER, MR CHAN SAID.

||

THE GOVERNMENT WILL ACCEPT APPLICATIONS BETWEEN JANUARY 20 AND FEBRUARY 28 THIS YEAR.

FOR

IMPORTED LABOUR

INTERESTED EMPLOYERS MUST FIRST REGISTER THEIR VACANCIES WITH THE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT 80 THAT LOCAL WORKERS, IF AVAILABLE AND INTERESTED, CAN APPLY FOR THEM. DETAILS OF APPLICATION PROCEDURES WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEARER THE TIME.

FINALLY, MR CHAN EMPHASISED THAT THE LABOUR IMPORTATION SCHEME WILL NOT MEAN AN AMNESTY OR JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

||

'ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL BE REPATRIATED AS SOON AS THEY ARE APPREHENDED, HE SAID.

||

PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE IN OCTOBER 1991

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 26% IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF LAST YEAR AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1990, ACCORDING TO THE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THERE WAS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 16% IN THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 19% IN VOLUME.

THE GROWTH IN THE VOLUME OF TRADE IS DERIVED FROM THE GROWTH IN TRADE VALUES, HAVING DISCOUNTED THE EFFECT OF PRICE CHANGES.

AS REGARDS PRICE CHANGES OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, RE-EXPORTS AND IMPORTS ALL ROSE BY 2%. THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX TO IMPORT PRICE INDEX) SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE.

/PRICES ARE