Hong Kong authorities have halted a scheme to import construction workers from outside the city after more than 120 migrant labourers complained of being cheated out of wages. The move was welcomed by the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, which held a press conference last Wednesday detailing the allegations raised by the affected imported construction workers . The union’s Rights and Complaints Officer Ryan Ng told RTHK on Monday that various government departments, including the Development Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, and the police were investigating the claims.
But he also said the struggling architecture and property sectors had played a role in the suspension. The Development Bureau said on Sunday that none of the 18 applications for about 1,750 non-local workers had been approved in the latest round. “In processing each application, the Development Bureau will examine whether the applicant has first conducted local recruitment in accordance with the requirements announced by the Government and failed to recruit the required labour, and whether there is a genuine need for imported labour for the project,” the statement read in Chinese.
See also: Over 120 imported construction workers say Hong Kong agents are cheating them out of wages, union urges gov’t action The bureau set a total quota of 12,000 workers last July to ease a manpower crunch in the construction sector. The government has approved 9,731 workers to date. Under the.