Domestic workers have been an integral part of Hong Kong’s community for a long time but the city has been facing a shortage of household helpers in recent years, and a key factor is employers’ poor treatment of their maids.
A commentary published in Apple Daily on Friday blamed local employers cause such shortage.
In the newspaper column, journalist Fan Wing-shum said domestic workers from the Philippines made up half of the 352,000 foreign workers in the city.
However, despite increasing demand, employment agents said fewer Filipinos were willing to come to Hong Kong. Part of the reason was the tightening labor export policy implemented by the Philippine government – but the main reason was the way local employers treat their workers, Fan said.
One female employer, purportedly is a “freak” about cleaning, would not allow an outsider to use the washing machine and told her maid to wash her own clothes by hand or at a laundry.
She also asked if the domestic could wash her clothes on her days off – and bear the fee on her own if she washes them at a laundry.
Another case involved a family of six living in a flat that was too small and had little space for the domestic worker, so the employer arranged for her to sleep in the kitchen, which was dangerous.
On top of that, the employer was a shift worker who went to the kitchen to make late-night snacks and thus disrupted the maid’s ability to get a decent night’s sleep.
Fan said there were too many troubling cases, such as the worker hit by her employer’s children and others involving maids who were overworked.
However, most domestic workers came to Hong Kong to work for a family and they had little choice but to tolerate as much as they could.
The writer appealed to employers not to be too harsh on their domestic workers.
Just like me handwash din dmit ko,pro bedsheet ko palaundry ko ang maganda lng sa kin pera ni amo pambayad tapos sabay ko na rin dmit ko na marumi…
Sa interview mga mamahaling ulam ang itatanong kung marunong ka bang magluto ng ganun picky sa paglinis taz oag andun kna sa bahay mala basurahan yong taz choi sum ta tufo lang pala lulutuin mo.Taz sa kai bo kpa pabilhin ng karne kasi mura..Nkakahiya mga employer..
Ang mas malala dyan kahit xhk ka pinapa training pa din magkapera lang mga agency komag na yan.
Tapos nong pagdating dito instik na impakta ang employer ko dinadala pa ako sa china para maglinis magluto at gusto pa nya pagserve ako ng rea hanggang mdling araw kc nagmamajong cla. At kabila ng kadaming camera sa bahay nila may hindi lang makita suspetsahan kana ikaw ang kumuha laging kwento nagnanakaw katulong nya ng mga damit sos ano kayang nakwain eh kluma n ng mga damit nya at botasbotas pa sos. Ang yabng they are so rich daw at mabait daw sila trato daw nilang prang family katulong nila family ba yong para kang priso khit pgbili napkin di pwede at di ka lng mkita sa camera ng 1 min tataeag hanapin ka hay jusmio.
Zenie Casayuran Reyes tama pag ganyan go to the labor dept and immigrayion report what they are doing.
Dont they know that the more good they treated their maid the more the helper do everything good for them. My niece has finished her conyract to her employers but fid not recontract when they asked her coz their child was kicking and boxing her also speaking bad words to her. And the employer the madam has been putting lines on soya sauce up to oil and also rice and she only eating their left overs those kinds of employers should be banned so they cannot get a maid anymore.
thats really happen in hongkong
MaryRose Garcia pray nalang natin sila.. Ikanga be kind to unkind people.. They need it the most.. ????
Right di makato sila,amo ko palagi sinasabi sa akin dont waste pero sila naman may kasalanan,"save the world" many people in africa no eat..pero di naman nya naisip na nagugutom di ako..di man lng tanungin kung kumain kanaba..kainis na amo
That’s true some employers are harsh to their helper…this must the tool that the local government should see if the employer has the capacity to provide the needs of their kongyan before the approve their papers..
hope the goverment of hongkong will strictly watch also employer asking the helper to work even in their day off..cause thats the only time helper can take rest and enjoy a life ..
I’m very lucky,, cuz,, my employer Ay mababait,,, at wlang problema,,, sa lahat….
This is really true to some helpers in hk…could this such kind of employers behavior can be reported to the hk labor? If so, y not report it to them and I’m sure hk labor would not tolerate this kind of act..this employer must learn a lesson….sleeping in a kitchen is Inhumane. Washing by hands is much better than mingling with their own clothes. That’s what I did. ????
Very true, some employers are taking advantage to the helpers… Kaya Isip-isip ko mga kabayan ipon talaga dapat at wag masyado gumastos…
it’s good..I wish one day there will be no Filipinos will come to work here as domestic helper..there are other countries to work not only here….inconsiderate and bad manners employer dint deserve us hardworking Filipinos…they should hire other nationality that suits them and the way they treat maids…
Most of the employers here in hong Kong didn’t know how to treat well their maid,,they’re thinking that maid r just like a rubbish but they didn’t know they’re the one who’s rubbish not a helper,,,,,
I hoping for this to.happen…many domestic helpers.eat left over from last night..#reality
Edna Gherthe Osano Macasa bili tau sarli nating pagkain dapat sn ibigay nlng sa atin yung food alliw natin db? Pr makain natin ang gusti natin na hindi na manggagaling sa sarili nating bulsa..dapat ipaglaban natin na ibigay nlng ang food allow natin db?
That’s true…
I’m sleeping in the kitchen and wash my own clothes at laundry ( it will pay by myself ????)
Another reason was, the helper need to do wrk wen they came back home during day off..
Not only the Employer to blame..but the Agencies itself in HK has a big part of it. They lied to the applicants and to the Employers,so both suffer the consiquences.