Chapter 9
Epilogue
In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of complaints involving solicitation or acceptance of illegal “referral fees”. The ICAC would spare no effort in eradicating corruption and preventing labour exploitation in order to protect the interests of workers and foster a corruption-free work environment.
Recruitment of workers in the construction industry is mainly through the introduction of middlemen. Construction workers are often informed of the terms of employment orally, including their daily wages. In view of such, the ICAC has provided government departments and pubic bodies with corruption prevention advice, including enhancing transparency in recruitment and salary payments, making employment contracts in writing. A mobile application “easyJob” earlier launched by the Construction Industry Council assists construction workers to seek jobs directly without going through any middlemen so as to minimise the chance of their being exploited for “referral fees”. Apart from the corruption prevention training provided annually to trainees of the Vocational Training Council, ICAC short animation videos with subtitles of six ethnic minority languages were produced to publicise the message that no referral fees are required for getting jobs.
The Community Relations Department has also developed "Teaching Materials on Corruption Prevention in Everyday Life" to raise the awareness of corruption pitfalls among the general public (including people of diverse race and new arrivals) and to promote positive values of integrity. The teaching materials use scenarios in our daily lives where corruption may occur, to convey messages of "don't bribe" and "report corruption".
In the video entitled "Kickback? Not even once!', the general public is reminded not to bribe for jobs but to be a "smart job seeker". When asked for kickbacks or tea money for job referrals, just say "no" and report to the ICAC as soon as possible.
"Kickback? Not even once!' video (in Chinese only)
The ICAC takes a zero-tolerance towards the grassroots being exploited through corruption means. “The witnesses in this case are grassroots workers. No matter whether they are locally born and raised in Hong Kong or they are people of diverse race, victims in such cases are often most vulnerable to negligence and exploitation.”
According to an overview of the corruption trends, there are a number of similar cases concerning the construction sector. “As no livelihood issue is too trivial, the ICAC will handle each and every corruption case seriously and will not turn a blind eye to any case regardless of the amount of bribe money involved.”
The multilayer subcontracting system in the construction industry has made investigation more complicated and difficult. “Thanks to the cooperation of the construction company and the reliable evidence given by the witnesses, the defendant was eventually brought to justice. His conviction not only serves as a warning to but also makes an educational impact on the industry. It is hoped that more victims will come forward to report corruption.”
