Page 345 of 498
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
389
servants who draw a monthly salary of over $8,600 for working 8 hours a day. They have holidays and are entitled to an annual leave of 14 days together with other benefits of the civil servants. On the contrary, workers employed by the contractors are mostly earning just over $3,000. In order to make a living, some of them have to work overtime for up to 12 hours a day. Some even work as casual workers or hourly-rated workers during their holidays. Although Urban Council has never advocated the idea of employing 'sweated labourers', it is the loopholes of Urban Council's contracting-out schemes that created this kind of labourers. Is it not reasonable, therefore, to ask the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department to conduct a comprehensive review on the serious exploitation suffered by workers as a result of the contracting-out schemes? Can the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department just wave the matter aside by saying that it is none of our business since the service has already been contracted out? Can the Urban Council allow the phenomenon of 'sweated labourers' being exploited by contractors under the Council's contracting-out schemes to persist and even expand just because there is no statutory requirement on minimum wages in Hong Kong?
Finally, the loopholes of these service contracts and the cheap labour they create will ultimately affect the quality of public services provided by the Urban Council as well as the image of the Council itself. The problems exposed by the labour dispute of last year are just the tip of an iceberg. For example, there is a problem that the workers employed by these contractors are over-aged. As we all know, refuse collection and road cleansing are obnoxious jobs that involve high risks. With workers working overtime to make a living and over-stretched mentally and physically without having proper labour protection, it is inevitable that more serious incidents will eventually take place. The fact that workers employed by contractors are not provided with any uniform but just an apron or fluorescent shoulder girdle or waistband will also besmirch the image of the Urban Council. No wonder there is a criticism from the public that the Urban Council no longer has decent-looking scavengers! The friendly image of the well-known 'Sweeper Mau' who serves the community enthusiastically in his uniform and gloves with a refuse collection cart can only be seen in a TV drama of the 70s and 80s!
In conclusion, there are a lot of loopholes or grey areas in the tendering process of the contracting-out or privatization schemes of services recently introduced by the Urban Council such as those found in the areas of monitoring system, public image, service standards, operation scale, profit-making ability, staff training and qualities, etc. They have given rise to various problems and have dealt a heavy blow on the image of the Urban Council as a public service provider. In any case, the Urban Council should not use any 'sweated labour' or 'cheap labour' as its basis of human resources to provide services.
In the light of the above, I would like to urge the Urban Council and Urban Services Department to conduct a comprehensive review on all schemes of
Page 345 of 498
Page 345 of 498
Page 345Page 346
Page 345 of 498
Page 345 of 498
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
389
servants who draw a monthly salary of over $8,600 for working 8 hours a day. They have holidays and are entitled to an annual leave of 14 days together with other benefits of the civil servants. On the contrary, workers employed by the contractors are mostly earning just over $3,000. In order to make a living, some of them have to work overtime for up to 12 hours a day. Some even work as casual workers or hourly-rated workers during their holidays. Although Urban Council has never advocated the idea of employing 'sweated labourers', it is the loopholes of Urban Council's contracting-out schemes that created this kind of labourers. Is it not reasonable, therefore, to ask the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department to conduct a comprehensive review on the serious exploitation suffered by workers as a result of the contracting-out schemes? Can the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department just wave the matter aside by saying that it is none of our business since the service has already been contracted out? Can the Urban Council allow the phenomenon of 'sweated labourers' being exploited by contractors under the Council's contracting-out schemes to persist and even expand just because there is no statutory requirement on minimum wages in Hong Kong?
Finally, the loopholes of these service contracts and the cheap labour they create will ultimately affect the quality of public services provided by the Urban Council as well as the image of the Council itself. The problems exposed by the labour dispute of last year are just the tip of an iceberg. For example, there is a problem that the workers employed by these contractors are over-aged. As we all know, refuse collection and road cleansing are obnoxious jobs that involve high risks. With workers working overtime to make a living and over-stretched mentally and physically without having proper labour protection, it is inevitable that more serious incidents will eventually take place. The fact that workers employed by contractors are not provided with any uniform but just an apron or fluorescent shoulder girdle or waistband will also besmirch the image of the Urban Council. No wonder there is a criticism from the public that the Urban Council no longer has decent-looking scavengers! The friendly image of the well-known 'Sweeper Mau' who serves the community enthusiastically in his uniform and gloves with a refuse collection cart can only be seen in a TV drama of the 70s and 80s!
In conclusion, there are a lot of loopholes or grey areas in the tendering process of the contracting-out or privatization schemes of services recently introduced by the Urban Council such as those found in the areas of monitoring system, public image, service standards, operation scale, profit- making ability, staff training and qualities, etc. They have given rise to various problems and have dealt a heavy blow on the image of the Urban Council as a public service provider. In any case, the Urban Council should not use any 'sweated labour' or 'cheap labour' as its basis of human resources to provide services.
In the light of the above, I would like to urge the Urban Council and Urban Services Department to conduct a comprehensive review on all schemes of
Page 345 of 498
Page 345 of 498
Page 345Page 346
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.