More Than 100 Steel Fixers Unemployed, Say Foreign Workers Have Taken Their Jobs
逾百紮鐵工失業批被搶飯碗 工人稱寧做外勞「仲生活得好過我宜家」
The Government has allowed the construction industry to import 12,000 foreign workers since July last year. Now in the fourth round of applications, 49 public works contracts have been approved, involving the importation of 7,107 workers; steel fixers account for about one tenth, or approximately 712 workers. However, many steel fixers have recently had insufficient work or even become unemployed. More than 100 workers sought jobs at a construction industry recruitment day yesterday, while other workers sought employment at the Labour Department today. Several workers questioned whether foreign workers had taken their jobs. One worker said that, with no work available, he had to work part-time delivering food, and lamented: “I’d rather be a foreign worker—I’d be living better than I am now, as a Hong Kong person born and raised here.”
政府去年7月起開放建造業輸入12,000個外勞名額，至今踏入第四輪申請，已批出49份公營工程合約，共輸入7,107人，其中紮鐵工佔一成約712人。然而，近日有大批紮鐵工人開工不足，甚至失業。昨日過百名工人在建造業招聘日上求職，今日再有工人勞工處求職。多名工人質疑被外勞搶飯碗，有工人指沒工開，要兼職送外賣，慨嘆：「我寧願做一個外勞，仲生活得好過我宜家，一個土生土長嘅香港人。」