More protection needed for local workers: FTU

More protection needed for local workers: FTU
The Federation of Trade Unions has made six demands in their Labour Day Declaration. Photo: RTHK
Unionists said on Sunday the government needs to prioritise employment for local workers when they formulate plans to import labour.
This was one of the six demands the Federation of Trade Unions put forward in their Labour Day Declaration.
The union said officials need to consider the unemployment figures of different industries.
'According to government numbers, the unemployment rate in Hong Kong is 3.2 percent, but this number is worse in some industries. For example, 5.3 percent in the catering industry and five percent in the construction industry,' said the union's lawmaker Kingsley Wong.
'We hope the government will pay attention to these severe situations and take measures to ensure local workers are given priority in employment,' he added.
Wong said the government should consider halting the import of foreign workers in industries with higher unemployment rates, so that it would be easier for locals to find work in those sectors.
The FTU also called for legislation to protect the staff of food delivery platforms.
They pointed out that riders are currently not covered by work injury protection and other labour laws because they are regarded as self-employed.
Other suggestions include strengthening the Mandatory Provident Fund system, boosting construction safety protocols, as well as increasing training for local talent.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

RTHK

3 hours ago

• RTHK

HK stocks end up on strong Stock Connect inflows

HK stocks end up on strong Stock Connect inflows The Hang Seng Index ended trading on the first day of the week up 158.65 points, or 0.67 percent, at 23,689.13. File photo: RTHK Hong Kong shares ended higher on Monday, lifted by the strongest southbound inflows via the Stock Connect in three weeks, even as investors remained cautious over the outlook for tighter cash conditions in the market. The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended trading on the first day of the week up 158.65 points, or 0.67 percent, at 23,689.13. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 0.82 percent to end at 8,597.36 while the Hang Seng Tech Index rose 1.05 percent to end at 5,187.01. Onshore investors bought a net 7.9 billion yuan of Hong Kong shares via the Stock Connect on Monday, the highest since May 30. Mainland investors helped drive a rally in Hong Kong shares this year, but their participation has tapered off in the past two months. Hua Hong Semiconductor and SMIC jumped around 4.5 percent each, after media reported that the US government is weighing additional restrictions on China, including revoking waivers that allow global chip makers to access American technology in China. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong dollar slipped to 7.85 per US dollar on Monday, hitting the weaker end of its trading band for the second time since May 2023. The move may prompt the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to drain liquidity from the banking system to support the currency. Hong Kong market liquidity is unlikely to ease further and may even tighten as Hong Kong interbank offered rates (Hibor) have likely bottomed out and southbound inflows have slowed, said Kevin Liu, strategist at China International Capital Corporation. The overnight Hibor, a key barometer of liquidity, hovered near a record low at 0.01777 percent. "Short-term liquidity tightening, uncertainties surrounding tariff negotiations, weakening economic data and delays in policy support could all contribute to increased market volatility," Liu said. Mainland Chinese stocks closed higher on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.65 percent to 3,381.58. The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.43 percent higher at 10,048.39. China's Coal Index rose 1.6 percent. Maritime shipping and port shares broadly rose, with Nangjing Port up to 10 percent. (Reuters/Xinhua)

RTHK

6 hours ago

• RTHK

HK a safe harbour for funds amid turbulence: Paul Chan

HK a safe harbour for funds amid turbulence: Paul Chan Finance chief Paul Chan says two-thirds of the city's US$4 trillion of managed assets originates from outside Hong Kong. Photo: RTHK Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Monday he is optimistic about upcoming results from the annual asset and wealth management survey conducted by Hong Kong's securities watchdog as the city continues to woo global capital with its offer of a "safe harbour" amid global turbulence. Speaking at the 18th annual conference of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association in Admiralty, Chan said net inflows into Hong Kong-domiciled funds surpassed US$44 billion for the 12-month period in the runup to March, almost three times higher year on year. "We are optimistic about the upcoming SFC Asset and Wealth Management Activities Survey," he told event participants, many of whom are fund management elites. "At last count, Hong Kong managed nearly US$4 trillion in assets, more than 10 times of our GDP. "Notably, two-thirds of this capital originates from outside of Hong Kong. "Several factors are driving this growth. First, the Greater Bay Area (GBA). With its affluent population and growing demand for offshore asset allocation, Hong Kong is the natural choice." Chan said cross-border fund flows between the SAR and the GBA have increased by sevenfold to more than 100 billion yuan since the GBA Wealth Management Connect scheme was enhanced last February and hinted of more measures to come. Also contributing to the increase in fund inflows is the growing number of family offices setting up shop here, with the total expected to exceed 3,000 soon from the current 2,700, he said. Potential investments from some 1,400 ultra-rich individuals could amount to over US$5.2 billion following the introduction of the cash-for-residency New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. This, he said, was because the city continued to stand out as a trusted gateway and "safe harbour" for global capital under the One Country, Two Systems framework. Chan said the government is improving the preferential tax regimes for family offices to further enhance the asset and wealth management industry. The aim is for the legislation to be submitted to the Legislative Council next year, with implementation from the 2025-2026 assessment year onwards, he said.

RTHK

8 hours ago

• RTHK

Grade B and C offices 'likely to join dorms scheme'

Grade B and C offices 'likely to join dorms scheme' Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho says having more dormitories in place is a prerequisite for the SAR to attract more overseas students. File Photo: RTHK The Development Bureau said on Monday it expects private grade B and C offices will likely join a pilot scheme that allows commercial buildings and hotels to be converted into student hostels much more quickly. The bureau is proposing that the definition of hotels be expanded to cover student dormitories so that developers do not have to be put through any planning procedures should they wish to convert buildings into student hostels or construct dormitories on commercial sites. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho said having the support facilities in place is a prerequisite for the SAR to better develop its "Study in Hong Kong" brand, which was first unveiled in last year's Policy Address to attract more overseas students to study here. "The industry told us that maybe there is a higher chance of grade B and C offices joining the scheme," she said. "We also looked at some figures – these two grades of offices have a vacancy rate of only about 10 percent in the past year. "Therefore, if we have this scheme and they are willing to participate, it will allow commercial buildings that have not been fully utilised to be put to better use, and we think that's worth supporting." The government, Ho said, will leave it up to the industry to decide whether medium- and low-cost hotels will participate in the scheme. She said the SAR has sufficient hotel capacity to support tourism development for the time being. This is because the occupancy rate for the 90,000 hotel rooms in Hong Kong stands at 80 to 90 percent, Ho said, and with the change in travel patterns, travellers do not necessarily stay overnight. Under the scheme, the bureau also hopes to waive floor area requirements to offer developers greater flexibility. For instance, Ho said, they can retain the area previously used as a covered parking lot to offload goods and convert them into facilities such as laundry, study and gym rooms. She said the government has set neither a target on how many more student dormitories would be set up under the scheme nor a cap on the number of applications. Metropolitan University vice president Charles Kwong welcomes the scheme. As the bureau's development projects facilitation office will be responsible for the scheme, he said, it will save a lot of time and costs as schools no longer have to liaise with government departments one by one when they are trying to convert buildings into hostels. He believes institutions are not looking for Grade A private offices for conversion. Instead, vacant buildings located in preferred areas will be more suitable as schools can follow through with the conversion with better time control, Kwong added. The scheme will start accepting applications in the middle of next month.