Pending applications terminated and one-year ban imposed
Hong Kong's Labour Department (LD) has sanctioned three employers for breaching the requirements of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), barring them from importing workers under the programme for one year.
The department announced on 27 October that it had imposed an administrative sanction on Pionier Laundry Limited and Coucou (HK) Catering Management Company Limited. Two days later, on 29 October, it announced a similar sanction against The Incorporated Owners of Nan Fung Industrial City.
With immediate effect, the LD terminated the processing of labour importation applications previously submitted by the three employers. It will also refuse to process any new ESLS applications from them for one year.
False information and manning ratio breaches
According to the LD, Pionier Laundry and Coucou breached the scheme's requirements after they had already brought in workers under the ESLS.
"Upon investigation, it was established that the above companies had breached the requirements under the ESLS after importing labour under the ESLS," a spokesperson for the department said.
The LD cited two grounds for sanctioning the two companies: providing the department with false information on the number of their full-time local employees, and failing to continuously maintain the scheme's 2:1 manning ratio of full-time local employees to imported workers.
Meanwhile, LD said the Nan Fung Industrial City owners' corporation had provided false information about the number of its full-time local employees while applying to import labour under the ESLS.
Warning to employers
The department reminded employers that the scheme requires them to give priority to hiring local workers.
"Employers applying for the importation of workers under the ESLS should strictly comply with the scheme requirements, including according priority to employing suitable local workers," the spokesperson said.
The LD said employers that violate labour or immigration laws, the requirements of the ESLS, or the Standard Employment Contract will face administrative sanctions.
"Such sanctions may include terminating the processing of submitted applications of the employer, withdrawing approvals for the importation of workers previously granted, and refusing to process any subsequent applications submitted by the employer," the spokesperson added.
