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The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) will issue a letter to some 30,000 employers and contractors in both the catering and construction sectors, urging them to join an MPF industry scheme.

Speaking at the "MPF for Catering Industry" event at Tsuen Wan today (November 18), the MPFA's Executive Director (Member Protection), Mr Ernest Lee, said the MPF Industry Scheme was tailor-made to cater for the high labour mobility and the daily wages practice within the two industries.

For employers who have to employ casual and daily-paid workers from time to time, the Industry Scheme can provide the following administrative convenience:

* If contributions are made on the same day as the relevant income is paid, there is no need for employers to provide monthly pay-records to their casual employees;

* There is no need to keep the payment records for casual employees while employers who have joined master trust schemes are required to keep the records for at least six months;

* There is no need to keep the remittance statement for casual workers but for master trust schemes, employers need to keep them for at least seven years.

"The enrolment situation in the Industry Schemes has picked up rather rapidly over the last two weeks as more and more employers realize the benefits the Industry Scheme can bring.

"We understand that some employers in the catering industry have joined master trust schemes but since master trust schemes will impose quite a number of administrative duties on employers, they are encouraged to join an industry scheme as well to cover their causal workers," said Mr Lee.

Officiating at today's event were Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Mr Henry Tang; and General Secretary of the Confederation of Trade Unions, Mr Lee Cheuk-yan. They made an appeal to employers in the two industries to join the industry scheme as early as possible.

Reviewing the latest enrolment situation, Mr Ernest Lee said more than 115,000 employers, representing 46 per cent of total employers, had signed up for MPF schemes up to November 16. The number of employees covered was about 1,235,000 or 62 per cent of relevant employees.

"We will continue with our public education and publicity efforts to remind employers to join MPF before the commencement of the MPF System. Those who have not signed up are urged to act immediately as the MPFA may impose contribution surcharges and financial penalties on employers for late enrolment or non-payment," said Mr Lee.

End/Saturday, November 18, 2000