January to May saw 114 remuneration complaints from workers of outsourced cleaning contractors in eight housing estates, Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Michael Suen says.

Of them, 72 were settled upon mediation, seven were confirmed to not involve worker exploitation, 14 were withdrawn, and 12 are being investigated.

The Labour Department has initiated nine prosecutions and contractors in two cases have been convicted.

Contract loopholes

Mr Suen today told lawmakers that apart from requiring strict compliance with the Employment Ordinance by contractors, the Housing Department also incorporates as contract terms the committed wages and working hours of cleaning workers to plug loopholes as far as possible.

To protect workers' interests, measures have been adopted to monitor compliance with contract terms. Any breach of the ordinance is referred to enforcement agencies. Cases are handled according to penalty clauses in the contract.

The department will adopt proactive and stringent measures to monitor outsourced contractors. Deterrent penalties will be imposed for breaching the Employment Ordinance and contract terms.