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The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Paul Tang, visited the Labour Department (LD) this afternoon (August 22) to learn more about the work of the department and to take the opportunity to meet its staff.
Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Raymond Wong, Mr Tang first met with the Commissioner for Labour, Mr Donald Tong, and the directorate staff. He said that he was pleased to learn that the LD is committed to providing comprehensive employment services, fostering harmonious labour relations, and promoting and safeguarding employees' rights and benefits as well as occupational safety and health.
Mr Tang started with a tour of the department's Labour Relations Division Hong Kong East Office, where he was briefed by the departmental staff on the conciliation service of the division. Its main services include assisting employers and employees in establishments outside the government sector in resolving their labour disputes through the provision of conciliation service. Apart from handling labour disputes, staff of the division also answer enquiries about the Employment Ordinance, the Minimum Wage Ordinance and employment contracts, which helps employers and employees understand their rights and obligations in order to prevent the occurrence of disputes.
Mr Tang moved on to see a demonstration by the staff of the Hong Kong East Job Centre on job search through the Vacancy Search Terminals at the centre and the interactive employment services through the department's website. Job seekers can use the facilities provided in the Job Centres to search suitable jobs and prepare resumes and application letters so as to complete the whole job-hunting process all at one stop.
Mr Tang then visited the two recruitment centres set up for the catering and retail industries. The Recruitment Centre for the Catering Industry and the Recruitment Centre for the Retail Industry display the latest job vacancies of the industries, and job fairs are staged from time to time for employers in the industries. On-the-spot interviews with recruiting employers are arranged in the centres to assist job seekers in the job finding process.
Before concluding his visit, Mr Tang met with staff representatives of various grades at a tea gathering to exchange views on relevant issues. He encouraged the staff to continue offering their high-quality, efficient and professional services to the public.
Ends/Friday, August 22, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:51
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