'Prioritise Local Labour Over Imported Workers'

Unionists called on the government on Friday to prioritise local employment and beef up support for the local workforce ahead of International Labour Day.

Labour unions and civil servant unions came up with ten policy suggestions to improve labour rights in Hong Kong, including strengthening vocational training, employment support, and extending labour protection for freelancers.

The group announced their "May Day Declaration" after meeting with the labour chief, calling on the government to innovate their labour policies and give priority to local employment over importing workers.

“We urge the government to use the existing mechanism [Supplementary Labour Scheme] to import labour because it can [strike] a balance between labour shortage and the priority of local labour employment. That's very important,” unionist lawmaker Lam Chun-sing said.

“[In response], the government just said that they will make sure that the priority of local labour employment and try to make a balance between the importation of labour,” he said.

The chairperson of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions also acknowledged the authorities' efforts to increase the maximum penalty for serious breaches of occupational health and safety laws, but said the government can still do more.

"We urge the government to provide more rehabilitation services to our injured workers. For example, to extend the rehabilitation scheme to other industries, instead of only focusing on the construction industry," he said.