LEGISLATIVE Councillors last night voted unanimously for a motion urging the Government to review the retraining of the unemployed and underemployed.
Speaking in a two-hour debate, they criticised the Government's lack of concrete commitment to retraining workers in dying industries. They said the present scheme was a stopgap measure to pacify discontent about imported labour.
The motion, moved by veteran unionist Mr Pang Chun-hoi, urged the Government to review the training courses on offer and find displaced workers new job opportunities.
Mr Pang said the results of the retraining programme had been disappointing.
''Of the around 500 people trained so far, there are still 61 workers waiting for job placement,'' Mr Pang said.
''But the Government has already spent over $10 million on the programme.'' Mr Pang said the Government should carry out a comprehensive review of the courses to determine whether they catered for the needs of the job market.