TABLE OF CONTENTS - The Professional Green Building Council

Theme B: Creating a livable, healthy and environmentally viable citiesdemonstrated that we are sensitive to the well-being of residents and respond totheir concerns. We are working on applying this model to other newly completedestates in the future, to try to build trust and a sense of ownership as thecommunity develops.5.9 Initiatives to Secure and Monitor Wages Payment to WorkersWith the multi-layered subcontracting system in use in Hong Kong, constructionworkers are vulnerable to wage arrears. Commercial disputes between contractorsand sub-contractors may lead to late payments or non-payment at lower levels ofsubcontracting and as a public sector client the HA may be singled out for publiccriticism when incidents of workers’ wages in arrears occur, even when we havepaid the contractors for the work done or service provided. Labour disputesbetween contractors and sub-contractors and their workers eventually affect thequality of service or cause delays.In response to some serious incidents on building contracts in late 2005 to early2006, and after building on the experience gained in some Government pilotprojects, we consulted the industry, including sub-contractors and workers, andhave developed improvement measures to secure and monitor the payment ofwages to workers which have been adopted in building contracts and nominatedsub-contracts from May 2006. The measures include employing Labour RelationsOfficers to conduct on-site checks of labour and verify records of workers inemployment, and records of their attendance; the payment of wages andacknowledgement of receipts; thoroughly monitoring the situation and identify anyanomalies. The Labour Relations Officers will also receive, acknowledge andrecord complaints and inquiries from workers.305