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The EOC Extends the Public Consultation Period for the Code of Practice on Employment under the Race Discrimination Ordinance

05/12/2008

To provide further opportunities for stakeholders and members of the public to express their views, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) extends the consultation period for the proposed Code of Practice on Employment (the Code) under the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO) until 19 January 2009.
 
The RDO was enacted in July 2008 to provide protection against racial discrimination. The Commission had published the proposed Code of Practice on Employment under the RDO for public consultation on 13 October 2008. The consultation period is now extended for six weeks until 19 January 2009 in order to facilitate representations from different stakeholders on the Code.
 
Other than the Chinese and English versions, the draft Code has been translated into six different languages including Urdu, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai, Hindi and Indonesian to help people of different ethnic backgrounds to better understand the purpose and content of the Code. Members of the public can download the Code in different languages from our website from 9 December 2008.
 
Copies of the Information Note on the Code in eight languages including English, Chinese, Urdu, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai, Hindi and Indonesian, and the Code are also available from the Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department and the EOC Office.
 
Chairperson of the EOC, Mr. Raymond TANG said, “The proposed Code has been widely distributed to stakeholders, ethnic minority organizations and concern groups for comments. The EOC had also organized more than 30 briefing sessions for different stakeholders including government departments, public bodies, non-profit organizations and employers’ groups to help them better understand the RDO and the Code. In addition, a total of eight public consultation meetings were held to gather opinions from stakeholders and members of the public in November 2008.”
 
Following the eight meetings in November 2008, two more public consultation meetings will be held on 10 January 2009 (Saturday) at the EOC office. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in different minority languages. Interested persons can contact the EOC Office at 2511-8211 for registration, or visit our homepage to obtain details of the public meetings.
 
Mr. TANG continued, “During the extended consultation period, the EOC will continue to meet with stakeholders and organize briefing sessions to gather views on the proposed Code. Public views and comments will be appropriately incorporated in the Code before it is tabled at the Legislative Council.”
 
Primarily, the Code is intended to help employers to understand and comply with the RDO and to promote racial equality in the workplace by encouraging good practice. It is also intended to give employees a general understanding about the law and their rights, and what to do if they feel they are discriminated against on the ground of race by their employers.
 
In addition to employers and employees, the RDO also deals with other occupational relationships and work-related matters such as contract workers, commission agents, partnerships, vocational training and the services of employment agencies.
 
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5 December 2008
Equal Opportunities Commission
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