A group helping overseas Filipino domestic worker set new targets in its fight for their rights as it marked its 33rd anniversary in Hong Kong last week.
United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil)-Migrante HK said the organization was now trying to get government approval for its proposal for humane accommodation for domestic workers and an uninterrupted 11-hour rest period every day, plus meal breaks, sunwebhk.com reported.
Unifil-Migrante HK secretary-general Eman Villanueva said more than 120 domestic workers died of various ailments in Hong Kong in 2016, many from cancer, hypertension, leukemia and other illnesses that were due to stress.
He blamed a lack of rest and the fact that people sleep on top of refrigerators and washing machines, in toilets, in hallways, on rooftops and on floors – after working up to 18 hours daily.
“The history of Unifil is the history of fighting for our rights,” Villanueva said, adding that their protests benefited not only Filipinos domestic workers, but also migrant workers from other countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Nepal.