'Impact Of CTU's Possible Disbandment Assessed'

Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong on Saturday said officials have been studying ways to lower the impact of a possible disbandment by the Confederation of Trade Unions (CTU), one of the government's largest employee training course service providers.

The official was speaking a day before the CTU is scheduled to hold a press conference, and its executive committee had reportedly decided to start a disbandment process.

Law says the Employees Retraining Board is looking into the issue.

"Starting from a couple days ago, the ERB has already looked into this matter to see what are the possibilities and ways to try to reduce the impact on the trainees as far as possible," Law said.

"If it's not possible, [we will see] whether other training bodies can come on board to help complete the training or take over the training," he added.

Meanwhile, the labour chief has defended the government's decision to suspend reservations for rooms at the Penny's Bay quarantine centre for incoming foreign domestic helpers from Sunday.

The facility will open on Monday to helpers who need to be quarantined, and bookings for the rooms – which started on Tuesday – were quickly snatched up.

Officials announced on Friday that they had to stop taking new bookings, so they could revise the procedures for the reservation system.

Law was asked why officials couldn't increase its daily quota of 50 rooms to satisfy the demand.

"If we increase the number of people coming in, and then unfortunately [if] we have a high infection rate on arrival, then all these flights will be suspended. And that basically means there will be none coming in," the minister explained.

Law said officials will need at least one week's time to look into the operation of the facility, while keeping an eye on the development of the pandemic, the situation of the helpers flying in and their infection rate.

He added that authorities are also speaking with at least two more hotels on whether they could become designated quarantine hotels for helpers.