Annual Report 2014-15

20 FHKI Annual Report 2014-15 On labour shortage, the FHKI is pleased that the Government has accepted the business community’s call to enhance vocational training and take a more proactive approach in recruiting talent and professionals from outside Hong Kong. On the premise of giving priority to local workers, we welcome proposals for optimising the Supplementary Labour Scheme for the construction industry. We hope the Government would conduct a full review of the Scheme and roll out concrete measures as soon as possible to ensure that necessary workers in short supply can be imported in a timely manner to tie in with the development of the economy. The FHKI opposes the proposal of introducing an automatic adjustment mechanism for minimum and maximum relevant income levels of the Mandatory Provident Fund. The employers’ and employees’ representatives should be given a chance to consider all relevant factors including the latest economic environment before deciding on whether an adjustment is necessary, instead of going for an automatic adjustment mechanism. We have sent a submission to the Mandatory Provident Fund Authority about the proposal and another submission on the proposed Core Fund. Political Reform The FHKI supports the implementation of universal suffrage of the Chief Executive in 2017. We believe that the electoral methods for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council must comply with the Basic Law and the relevant decisions of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. We have made submissions to the Government during the two rounds of public consultation on the methods for selecting the next Chief Executive. Hong Kong cannot afford a standstill or impasse, or else our governance will be undermined. The FHKI urges the community and Legislative Council members to have rational discussions over the subject so as to take forward Hong Kong’s electoral reform. As regards Legislative Council election, the FHKI advocates that the functional constituency (FC) system should be maintained to uphold the principle of balanced representation. We believe that the business and professional knowledge of FC Legislative Council members enables them to make valuable contributions in the law making process. So we consider that the composition of the Legislative Council for its next round of election in 2016 should remain unchanged. Other Local Issues In the past year, the FHKI also put forth submissions in response to other consultations and legislative proposals that may affect industries. These included: • expansion of Hong Kong Airport into a Three-Runway System; • Draft Guidelines under the Competition Commission; • a Study on “Future Development of Retirement Protection in Hong Kong”; and • proposed application of The “Madrid Protocol” to Hong Kong. Operational Review Advocacy for the Industries The FHKI supports the government’s proposal on universal suffrage of the Chief Executive in 2017. 工總支持2017年落實普選行政長官。