 |
| Employment agencies' boarding houses will be monitored more closely. |
The Labour Department has pledged to monitor more closely the boarding houses provided by employment agencies (EAs) to foreign domestic helpers waiting for their working visas, to ensure that they are clean and livable.
Labour was responding to a report published today by the Ombudsman
on "Government's regulation of
boarding facilities for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs)", which noted an
array of problems, including overcrowding, poor hygiene and suspected
violations of the permitted use of the building.
The Ombudsman said that with the policy to import FDHs, who
now number around 370,000, the governent has a duty to ensure reasonable
protection of their well-being, including with regard to their temporary
boarding facilities.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
Aside from a list of recommendations to Labour, the Ombudsman also urged the Immigration Department to process working visa applications
more quickly to reduce demand for these boarding houses, and for the Home Affairs
Department to optimize procedures for handling complaints about these
facilities.
Ombudsman Winnie Chiu’s recommendations for improvement were
welcomed and accepted by the three agencies.
For its part, Labour said employment agencies are not
required to provide boarding facilities for job-seekers (including FDHs) under
the Employment Ordinance, the Employment Agency Regulations and the Code of
Practice for Employment Agencies (CoP).
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
But if they do maintain one, the CoP requires that “they
must ensure that the relevant approval(s) or licence(s) for operating the
boarding facilities or bedspaces have been obtained from all relevant
government authorities, and the prescribed standards in respect of building
structure, fire safety as well as health and hygiene as specified in the
relevant laws of Hong Kong and/or any other licensing requirements as devised
for such facilities are fully and satisfactorily met at all times.”
If an agency violates the CoP, the Commissioner for Labour
may revoke or refuse to issue/renew its licence, or issue warnings so that the
irregularities are corrected.
“Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Labour has
repeatedly reminded agencies to keep their boarding facilities hygienic and observe
the relevant health guidelines in order to minimize any infection risk. We will
continue our efforts in this respect,” it said.
 |
| CONTACT US! |
As suggested by the Ombudsman, Labour will strengthen the
monitoring of boarding facilities and work more closely with other government
departments to facilitate checking, exchange of information, referral of
complaint cases and follow-up actions, it said.
Other recommendations include:
(1) liaising with stakeholders and requesting agencies to submit information about their FDH boarding facilities (if any), thereby creating a database for such boarding facilities;
(2) compiling and publishing a list of FDH boarding facilities operated by agencies for better information transparency and facilitating informed choices of FDHs, as well as fostering improvement in the sector's operation standards by market forces;
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
The full investigation report can be read in the website of
the Office of The Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.hk.
