A 44-year-old pregnant Filipina domestic worker and her employer will go to court over compensation for dismissal after both sides failed to reach an agreement in the Labour Tribunal on November 2.
The Filipina, now seven months pregnant, was claiming HK$14,500 (US$1,851), including arrears in wages, one month’s wage in lieu of notice, paid maternity leave and the $4,500 security deposit that the court ordered the defendant to put up, sunwebhk.com reported.
In a counter-claim, employer Ng Fong Yu Fanny was seeking HK$9,000 from the worker, representing one month’s wage in lieu of notice, and damages allegedly due to the worker’s abrupt departure, leaving her elderly father without a caregiver.
On August 30, the employer and the domestic worker made an agreement about where the worker’s baby would stay. The Filipina domestic worker said it was the employer who ordered her to leave.
The defendant denied this, telling presiding officer Eric Tam that she was very happy about her pregnancy.
“You said you were very happy about her pregnancy, but you told her you can’t accept the baby in your house?” Tam asked, adding that she had sent the worker a lot of warning letters.
The employer told the court she had a video to prove it was the Filipina who insisted on leaving, while the employer was asking her to stay. But the maid claimed the video was produced by the employer, who allegedly pretended to beg her to stay in front of police officers she had called.
As both sides could not come to an agreement on the amount of compensation, Tam sent the case to trial in April next year.