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'No grounds' for importing labour

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Unionist Cheng Yiu-tong accused the Government of using a misleading unemployment rate as an excuse to import more labour.

Speaking on the first day of a motion of thanks sponsored by Dr Leong Che-hung, Mr Cheng said the Government had announced that the unemployment rate was 2.2 per cent, the lowest in recent years.

However, Mr Cheng, chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions, said the figure by no means reflected the actual unemployment situation.

'The 160,000 manufacturing workers who lost their jobs were classified as people in non-economic activities instead of part of the working population.

'The Government has excluded these people, who are willing to take up employment, from the statistics,' he said.

His comments came after Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa stated in his Policy Address that the Government might need to import labour to help meet housing construction targets.

Mr Cheng said although Mr Tung did not say the Government would import more labour right away, there were signs the administration would expand labour importation.

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