Cleaning company banned from importing cleaners for two years over local hiring violation

Asia Cleaning Service Company Limited has been barred from importing foreign workers under Hong Kong's Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) for two years after failing to offer all available cleaner positions to a qualified local applicant.

The Labour Department announced today that it imposed the administrative sanction effective from March 17. The department will reject any new import applications from the company and has stopped processing its existing one.

An investigation confirmed the company violated local recruitment rules during its application to hire cleaners. It did not present a suitable local job seeker with the full range of screened vacancies across different workplaces, leading the applicant to turn down the offer. 

This amounted to refusing to employ a qualified local worker.

The Labour Department emphasized that employers must prioritize hiring suitable locals under the scheme and comply fully with its requirements, labor laws, and employment contracts. 

Violations can result in withdrawal of existing approvals and refusal of future applications.