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The licensee of Bagus Employment Agency (located at Central District) was convicted and fined $7,000 at Eastern Magistrates' Courts on February 23 for overcharging a job seeker.
According to the law, employment agencies are not allowed to collect from job seekers any fees or charges other than the prescribed commission, which is set at 10 per cent of the latter's first month's salary upon successful placement. In April 2014, the Employment Agencies Administration (EAA) of the Labour Department (LD) received a complaint against the employment agency concerned for overcharging of commission from a job seeker. Investigation revealed that the said agency had collected excessive placement fees from a foreign domestic helper.
The LD had already refused to renew the licence of Bagus Employment Agency in September 2014 after its licensee was earlier convicted of doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice. The LD also revoked or refused to renew the licences of three other employment agencies in 2014, namely Joins Employment Agency (located at Hung Hom), Hopemay Limited (located at To Kwa Wan, Causeway Bay and Hung Hom) and Foreign Domestic Workers Association of America Limited(located at Tsim Sha Tsui). The LD reminds employment agencies to operate in full compliance with the law. Failure to do so may lead to prosecution and possible revocation of licences.
For enquiries or complaints about unlicensed operations or overcharging of commission by employment agencies, please call the EAA at 2852 3535 or visit its office on 12/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong.
Ends/Friday, February 27, 2015
Issued at HKT 11:30
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