Labor representatives urge action against worker exploitation

Workers’ representatives met on Thursday with the Labor Minister, who they said promised to take steps to stop the exploitation of migrant workers.

Mainland workers seeking employment in Hong Kong under various labor import schemes must apply through authorized agents, who reportedly charge them fees of up to tens of thousands of dollars.

After meeting with Labor and Welfare Minister Chris Sun, a worker representative on the Labor Advisory Council, Lam Wai-kong, said the minister had promised to take legal and administrative action to address the problem.

“Actually, the secretary did not specify what the legal and administrative steps would be. But in my opinion, the salary for the import workers should be based on the average salary of local workers. If they are not paid properly, it means the officers have broken the law,” he said.

“Regarding the administrative steps, in the vetting process for individual labor import applications, I believe the Labor and Welfare Bureau has the ability to make changes to decide whether to approve each case or not.”

Lam added that Sun had also agreed to review labor import regulations earlier, instead of waiting every two years.

Meanwhile, another representative on the board, Jenny Tam, said they are also concerned about the government’s plan to attract 10,000 skilled workers aged 35 or younger over the next three years.

“The secretary mentioned as an example the shortage of Class A electricians. But we think there are actually enough workers in this sector, with many licenses. We are concerned that importing more workers could affect local employment,” she said.

Tam added that Sun responded by saying officials will be cautious and listen to different opinions.