Macao (RAE - China) - Migrant workers denied rights (2012)

Migrant workers are denied basic forms of protection and have no right to collective bargaining and no effective legal recourse in the case of unfair dismissal. Most generally earn less than half the wage of local workers employed in the same job, and contracts are between labour recruitment agents and the employer, rather than directly between the employer and the employees. There is also little supervision of recruitment agencies, which often demand exorbitant fees from migrant workers.

The new law on the Employment of Foreign Employees from October 2009 remains discriminatory and is too vague. It imposes a levy on employers of non-resident workers. The bill gives a six month re-entry ban on workers who terminate their contracts and prohibits the transfer to other job categories. The government said in November 2011 that it is planning to include new exceptions to the six-month ban. It is considering relaxing the ban to allow non-resident workers to change jobs immediately provided they keep working in the same industry.

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