Only 610,000 workers will benefit from the Hong Kong government’s proposed rules for the city’s low-paid labor force who earn below HK$11,000 (US$1,411) a month.
The proposal also has excluded more than 300,000 foreign maids and drawn criticism for leaving out other employees.
The total labour force in Hong Kong for 2014 was 3.88 million, representing 61.1% of the total population aged 15 and over.
The government said the rules would be enacted in legislation in 2020.
Employers will be required to clearly state the number of working hours in employee contracts and must pay staff overtime if they work extra hours.
A Labor Department information officer said the rules would cover workers in the following areas: restaurants, construction sites, film, logistics, real estate management, print machinery, hotel and tourism, cement, retail, cleansing services and elderly homes. He said domestic workers would not be covered.
HK$11,000 threshold
In a joint statement, three lawmakers representing the Labor functional constituency and six members of the Standard Working Hours Committee said the HK$11,000 threshold was set too low, meaning many workers will not be covered, RTHK reported.
They also said employers could still manipulate the employment contracts to avoid paying for overtime.
The term of the committee, which was set up in April 2013, expired when it delivered its report in January this year.
Liberal Party lawmaker Felix Chung Kwok-pan welcomed the proposal, while Edward Leong Che–hung, chairman of the Standard Working Hours Committee, said the proposal might not be perfect, but it certainly was a good start.
Leung Chun-ying’s promise
Progress on a standard working hours policy has been extremely slow, having taken five years since July 2012 to reach the proposal stage. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying promised in his election platform to push forward the legislation, but the committee was set up nearly year after he took office in July 2012.
In November 2012, the Labor Department report on a policy study on standard working hours was published, stating that 690,000 full-time workers in six sectors racked up 54.6 hours per week. This is around a 10-hour day if employees work a five-day week.
Australia, for example, brought in a 38-hour work week in 1981 and the standard in Singapore is 44 hours.
The six sectors were retail, real estate management and security, restaurants, land transport, elderly homes, and laundry and dry cleaning services.
The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions had urged the government to include maids in the standard working hours legislation. It said they faced excessively long hours as their contracts did not stipulate maximum hours.
However, the Standard Working Hours Committee rejected the request and submitted a report to the government in January this year that excluded maids in the standard working hours legislation.
The more than 300,000 foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong come mainly from the Philippines and Indonesia, with some from Thailand and Vietnam. None are covered in the proposed new rules.
This is so so sad! While mostly FDH working longer hours than the mentioned workers above. And im pretty sure that you know most of the FDH employers are the abusive one. Just imagine, even during our holidays our employers are shameless to ask us to do the housework before and after we go out for our off. During weekdays we work 15-18 hours each day. Maybe not all helpers but mostly ! Haissttt where’s the #justice !!
it seems so unfair proposal especialy to FDW,some even have no free meal & no rooms to sleep,they are still human,doing hard works.
And if you terminate contract you will go home. I pray that time will come NO MORE filipinos domestic helpers will work abroad. They are afraid to do the housework and pay more.
DAMN IT !!!! YOU WAIT FOR YOUR KARMA!!! I TELL YOU !!!
I work 18 hours a day,I barely get enough sleep and ane enough food, have to work during my day off! It’s so unfair,we FDH are human being too! Where’s the justic?
Why fdh are excluded we should be in the priority list…….I think you dont understand our real situation…..one suggestion try to do the same for one month so that you may feel what kind of work we do in your house!��
It seems that less consideration is given to FDH,but were included in the workforce of Hongkongs economy.we are the underpaid ones with long working hours,being ignored by some employers of rights to be treated properly,no enough food,no properr privacy,coz some cant provide a room for maid but government allows it.do u realy know the situation of some helpers.it’s truly unfair!
Its unfair really.
so, what they think of Domestic helpers..are they slaves?
This is not fair! Most employers of domestic helpers are so abusive and they even let their helpers work before leaving the house on their day off and comes back home to work again before retiring to bed.
Oh, I feel you and I feel so sorry for you. Be patient, finish your contract and find a better employer next time.
Tama..16 to 18 hrs trabho natin dto..nkkpagod talga
This is not fair for us ..we worked 16 to 18 hours no rest no food provide lack of sleep .working even holidays.halfday holiday without pay..we have to fight ��������
Fdh din ako at naintindihan ko, binabayaran tayo in monthly basis at hindi hourly or daily, pwede sguro bigyan nila ng mandatory or include sa kontrata yung limit ng oras trabaho hanggang 8 lang ng gabi, cguro pwede yun at mkapsa yun sa legislative nila. sarili ko lang pong opinion.
This is what you call BIAS GOVERMENT i dont care anyway, but how about long service for the helpers who work for one employer for 10 years, for sure this is mandatory right?
Working longer hours, lower salary.
Working shorter hours, higher salary plus overtime pay pa.
Magaling na madaya namang kwenta yan ���
Feel so sad about this news its not pair for FDH the first who propose this law is the DOMESTIC HELPER but sad to say that we are not included for this…we still need to sacrifice to work for almost 18hrs a day still no justice for domestic helper����
Rosell Red …tama minsan aabot ako ng 20hrs
Thank you so much Atty. Lai. V for all the support and always at the back of all OFWs here in HK.
Why they never included us for a better work situation?its so unfair what’s the difference ?our salary not that good all this years ..and the truth we work/serve our employers for longer hours more than they expected…..hope they will considered our situation too
This is so unfair for the FDH…you Chinese people try to work all around at your house for 15-18hrs a day and you’ll feel how we feel??? But shame on you even just a pair of chopsticks you used during our holiday you can’t even wash…you’ll wait for us to wash that pair of chopsticks!!! Atleast 10pm to take our rest not up to 1-2am and wake up around 6:30am!!! For those abusive employer your time will come…God is not sleeping He is watching us!!!
This is so unfair, we are human being just like those who work in restaurants, hotels, real States etc. We are all employees but why treat us(FDH) like this!?we need get tired too ���
Indeed.
Dapat nga mga domestic helper ang mas kasali jan kz cla mismo nakakaranas ng subrang oras sa work
Ada Lida I don’t think Ican do that… Have to get out from here ASAP before I go insane