Licence of employment agency revoked

     A spokesman for the Labour Department (LD) today (October 28) reminded operators of employment agencies (EAs) to conduct their business in compliance with the law and the requirements of the Code of Practice for EAs (the Code) at all times.
 
     The LD has revoked the EA licence of Sincere Dragon Employment Centre Limited located in Shatin. The EA failed to meet the requirements as set out in the Code including failing to ensure that the candidates offered to employers were available for filling the vacancy at the time of accepting payment of their service fees, failing to draw up service agreements with employers, failing to provide receipts for payments received from employers as soon as practicable and failing to provide a copy of the standard employment contract signed by the employer for the latter's retention. The licensee concerned had appealed to the Administrative Appeals Board but the appeal was dismissed.
 
     Under section 53(1)(c)(iva) of the Employment Ordinance (EO), the Commissioner for Labour (the Commissioner) may revoke the licence of an EA if he is satisfied that the licensee concerned has not complied with the Code.
 
     "The Code sets out the salient legal requirements that EA operators must observe in operating their business, as well as the minimum standards which the Commissioner expects from EAs. The Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, which came into effect on February 9, 2018, stipulates that the Commissioner may refuse to issue or renew a licence, or may revoke a licence, if he is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the licensee or the person intending to be the licensee of an EA, or a related person of or an individual employed by the licensee or the person intending to be the licensee has contravened any provision of Part XII or any regulation made under section 62 of the EO, such as overcharging job seekers or operating an EA without a license, or has not complied with the Code issued under section 62A(1) of the EO," the spokesman added.
 
     This is the sixth revocation of an EA licence in 2019. In 2018, there were eight cases of revocation or refusal of renewal of EA licences.
 
     For enquiries about matters related to EAs or complaints about their malpractices, please call the Employment Agencies Administration of the LD at 2115 3667, or visit its office at Unit 906, 9/F, One Mong Kok Road Commercial Centre, 1 Mong Kok Road, Kowloon.