Messy kitchens are probably the last things that foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong want to see on Sunday evenings at the end of their weekly day off.
Several months ago, a Facebook page named “OFWs in HongKong” posted several pictures of a messy kitchen and complained that many domestic workers could not enjoy a full day of rest on Sundays. This raised the question of whether employers have the right to ask their maids to help clean up their kitchens on Sunday evenings.
According to Hong Kong’s labor law, a rest day is defined as a continuous period of not less than 24 hours during which an employee is entitled to abstain from working for his employer. However, some employers try to impose their own interpretations on this rule.
An old post on Baby-kingdom.com, a popular website for married couples in Hong Kong, initiated a discussion with the question, “What if your new domestic worker says she is entitled to have one 24-hour rest day per week?”
A lot of employers agreed that they did not have the right to ask their maids to clean up messy kitchens on Sunday evenings, but many of them admitted that they expected that their domestic workers to do so “voluntarily.”
Some said that if domestic workers didn’t do so on Sunday evening, they would have to get up earlier on Monday morning to wash the dishes. Some others said the 24-hour rest day could start from 9pm on Saturday and end on 9pm on Sunday.
Some employers also said they felt unhappy when a new domestic worker tried to “threaten” them by mentioning the labor law. Others said they could ask their maids to rest on a weekday, instead of Sunday.
Some netizens, however, spoke up for the domestic workers by stating a simple fact: No one wants to work on holidays.
Saturday 9pm to sunday 9pm? Hahaha, i usually take a rest 1am Sunday and needs to wake up early on Sundays because may employer told me at the start that i have to clean their house before i go out, and i have curfew of 8pm,when i come back home it’s either they have visitors or i have many dishes to wash because they did not wash the dishes from breakfast to dinner., it’s not really voluntarily because my employer told me to do so,,dayoff? Really stressing! It supposed to be a rest day but it’s turns to be a very tiring day!
Ang mahirap dito sa akin,pagrestime na saka gagamitin ang kwarto kung saan ka natutulog.. Labas pasok pa sila ang iingay, sa loob ng 17yrs ko Singapore hindi ko naranasan ang nararanasan ko dito, kaya lang kailangan ng tiaga.
Dito maymakain ka man o wala, wala silang pakialam dito ang mahalaga maypagkain sila.. Kaya ko pa naman magtiis wag lang akong sinasaktan doon talaga ako lalaban.. Lalo kung nakukulitan ako sa bunganga nila.
Im so glad my previous and current boss really following the rules..and my madam is so damn clean i dont see dirty stuff around the house beside from messy bed.
Just quit lots of Hk people looking for helpers. But honestly it’s like that at any job too you don’t expect the boss to do your work Sunday. It sits there waiting for you Monday ????????
Sheryl Lee truelalala ksalanan na din ng helper if she hot herself in this setuation
Minsan kase, nagpapa abuso tayo..
So much desappointed,because only sunday your day off,they also take from you?why not also try as a helper on sunday time monday to saturday you are a boss but please give to us also as a boss on sunday,we need rest,we need peace of mind,we need also talking and laughing together with friends but u dont give that employer to your helper you are selfish employer,.if sometimes we ask something to you,you are murmuring,if you employer asking something to your helper withh a smile say yes to you,cannot heard anything from your helpers..but you employers can you do as a helper only once in a week.not all the time always helper do for you,.your salary giving to us is not enough if your helper sick or accident.
We as human n as our job as a kunyang we have to be smart to work well with our boss who pay our salary, i never thought i would finally found my boss now compare to those previous i had work with, ms lo opoen my eyes n head to think as a kunyang n as a boss; i hated her the first contract i work with them, never expect she will make me a better kunyang n as a smart person too, people complain of hardship well i did iam too but i learn!!! Because my job is kunyang but im not a dramatic kunyang anymore but a smart n gaining so much learning a lot doing better than i was before, yes somedays are tough some most r not however i realize it is my attitude that can turn everything positive, i learn n absorb n do the best thats how ms lo find out i can do better giving a chance, let me point out to u guys,y did u aply for this job if u r well educated n rich in our country philippines? Think n absorb reality learn stop complaining too much we need jpbs that pay us
I may admit that this is a very moses and cat game. To be honest all here depends on mutual understanding and base on different degree on considération. Otherwise it will be always discutable. You don’t do it anyway you have to do it the next day. The employees should consider not to leave to much dishes in the holidays. Please! !!. Thanks
HK – 4% of your population is made up of imported women… !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kasama s sweldo ang mura,,panlalait ng amu,,ang kht off pag uwi ng wowork ,,sana ang amu ang kunyang ituriing n kpamilya d un plastic lht n ng stress nya s buhay s kunyang binuntun
Don’t be afraid it’s your day off, if your off is 24hrs & by the time start of your off you have to leave right away, tell them every hrs is to be paid. In the western world mostly the enployer don’t let their nanny work they say" rest it’s your rest day ", but they give consideration instead just sitting or watching. So, why not if you came from day off @ 9PM and go straight to your room to sleep and do the work in the morning if possible. I do understand they afraid to be fired, more if you owed back home.
it is good to some othet helper that they had a day off every week, but my employer did not give me a day off in 1 month. but i signed my contract that i have a one’s amonth day off. my co~helper & I can go out every last day of the month to remit money for only 2 to 3 hrs, but sometimes we only go out w/ in 1 hour. if somebody can read this, can you please help us about this problem?
I am so embarrassed that these employers treat their helpers so poorly, awful, be reasonable, be human
They need to order delivery
They need to order delivery
What’s out the10 member ASEANS country is already signed the prorection off migrate worker those employer who abuses the right of thier helper will be in big big trouble
Abusive employers! yes its true, they will call you to come back early and clean their mess or to take care their child because they haven’t had their dinner yet and will go out where you were left alone to take care their child. No consideration at all.
Sa akin kminmag ina ok lng kc tkgang alagaan na sila hindi n kmi nag off pareho n sila binubuhat at yon ay inisip n nmin parents sila magrest nlng kmi kung time mtulog sila hindi nman mbigat basta bukal sa ouso ntin.
Ako nmn every off day hnd nga nla ako pinagliligpit ng pinagkainan nla pero s akin ipinapaasikaso ung alaga ko mula paligo, pakain, drink ng milk, toothbrush hnggng pgtulog n un…