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As the summer vacation is on the doorstep, the Labour Department reminds employers of the need to comply with the Employment of Children Regulations and the Employment of Young Persons (Industry) Regulations when hiring employees aged below 18.
"Unless with prior approval of the Commissioner for Labour, no person shall employ children aged under 13 to work. While children aged 13 or 14 may be employed to work in non-industrial establishments, their employment is subject to the conditions laid down by the Employment of Children Regulations," Senior Labour Officer, Mr Ernest Ip, said.
"Those aged 15 or above may generally be employed to work in non-industrial establishments or industrial undertakings. But for those aged below 18 working in industrial undertakings, their working hours and the general conditions of their employment are governed by the Employment of Young Persons (Industry) Regulations," he said.
"Any person who contravenes any provisions of the two regulations shall be guilty of an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 upon conviction. In the past two years, 12 employers had been convicted of breaching the two regulations."
Mr Ip highlighted several cases of illegal employment of children as sales assistants in retail shops and for distribution of flyers in streets by bookstores during the summer months in past years. The Labour Department would step up inspections particularly to shopping arcades or locations with a concentration of bookstores in the coming summer vacation to detect possible offences.
Employers are advised to refer to the annex for major provisions under the relevant regulations or obtain a copy of the Concise Guide to the Employment of Children Regulations and the Employment of Young Persons (Industry) Regulations at the Labour Departmentˇ¦s website at http://www.labour.gov.hk, or call the Enquiry Hotline at 2717 1771 for more details on the regulations.
Ends/Friday, July 6, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:01
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