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The EOC Invites Members of the Public to Express Views on the Proposed Code of Practice on Employment under the Race Discrimination Ordinance

13/11/2008

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) invites members of the public to express their views on the proposed Code of Practice on Employment (the Code) under the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO). The Code has been published for public consultation between 13 October and 8 December 2008.
 
The RDO was enacted in July 2008 to protect everyone regardless of racial characteristics. The Commission has proposed to issue the Code of Practice on Employment under S63 of the RDO in order to explain the Ordinance and to give practical guidance on how to prevent racial discrimination in employment situations.
 
Members of the public can obtain copies of the Code from the Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department, the Equal Opportunities Commission and on its website. The EOC has also published an Information Note on the Code in different languages including English, Chinese, Urdu, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai, Hindi and Indonesian to help different people to better understand the purpose and content of the Code.
 
The proposed Code was widely distributed to stakeholders, ethnic minority organizations and concern groups for comments. The EOC has also organized 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. A total of eight public consultation meetings have been scheduled for stakeholders and members of the public. Following the first four meetings in early November 2008, two public consultation meetings will be held on 15 November 2008 (this Saturday) at The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong and another two meetings will be held at the EOC Office on 29 November 2008. Interested persons can contact the EOC Office at 2511 8211 for registration, or visit our homepage to obtain details of the public meetings.
 
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.
 
Public views and comments will be appropriately incorporated in the Code before it is tabled at the Legislative Council (Legco) in March 2009. Subject to a decision by Legco, it is hoped that the Code can come into effect in April 2009.
 
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Equal Opportunities Commission
13 November 2008
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