Building Firms Urged To Tackle 'tea Money' Bribes

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2019-02-11 HKT 12:33

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  Construction companies have been urged to sign contracts with workers to stop people feeling they have to bribe recruiters for work. File photo: RTHK

Veteran trade unionist Lee Cheuk-yan on Monday called on the construction industry to change its practice of hiring casual workers, in order to help stop them from being exploited.

Lee made the call after the ICAC revealed an increase in complaints over recruiters extorting cash from workers for job referrals. The anti-graft body said it received 31 such reports last year, up from 12 in 2016.

The graftbuster said some workers gave recruiters up to HK$250 per day as "tea money", out of fear they would lose their jobs if they did not make the payments.

Lee said employers should take the lead to stop the practice.

“They should give the workers more of a short-term contract that is not on a daily basis, but on a basis of the whole project,” he said.