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| Vame Mariz Verador lost her job days after saving her toddler-war and his grandma from the fire (photo from the Sydney Morning Herald) |
Foreign domestic workers affected by the fire in Tai Po will have at least three months to look for a replacement job in Hong Kong if their employers are no longer able to continue employing them.
This was according to a statement released by the government
on Monday, which said that the Immigration Department has made special
arrangements so the FDHs who are terminated due to the fire will be allowed to remain
in Hong Kong as visitors for an initial period of three months.
This period is “extendable if necessary”, according to
the statement. On top of this, all the relevant fees for their extension of
stay will be waived.
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Under present rules, FDHs whose contracts are prematurely terminated are normally given only 14 days to remain in Hong Kong to look for new employment or attend to other matters, including a claim for compensation that has yet to be settled. After this, they must return to their places of origins.
The relaxation of the rules comes as a relief for at least one Filipina domestic worker who suffered a double whammy recently after her contract was terminated for financial reason, even as she continues to undergo psychological counseling from trauma caused by the fire.
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| Vame Verador is comforted by MFMW social worker Johannie Tong as she recalls her ordeal during a TV interview |
Vame Mariz Verador made headlines in the wake of the fire, after she recounted the horror of carrying a terrified toddler down 17 storeys to safety, and then going back into the burning building to save the child’s grandmother.
According to Verador, the elderly woman had difficulty
going down the stairs and she had to keep retracing her steps back to where the older woman was, while carrying the toddler.
Verador lost all her belongings in the fire. Thus, she was shocked and even dismayed when told by her employment agency that she would also lose her job, days after her harrowing experience.
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Verador, 39, is now staying at a shelter run by the Mission for Migrant Workers as she ponders her future, and continue her counseling and
physical therapy sessions.
She was one of 110 FDHs employed at Wang Fuk Court
who were given a special subsidy of $20,000 each by the Hong Kong government.
Those who were injured received either $50,000 or $100,000 depending on how long
they had to be hospitalized, while the families of each deceased FDH will get
around $800,000 in total.
The government statement also said the Labour Department has been maintaining close contact with the consulates general of the Philippines and Indonesia on follow-up work for the affected helpers. This includes the issuance of replacement passports and other documents that the FDHs lost in the fire.
Both consulates have promised to expedite the
issuance of the documents, at no cost to the victims.
Immigration has committed to doing likewise for the
visa copies and other relevant documents that the FDHs had lost.
Free medical consultation will also be extended to all fire victims until Dec. 31, 2026, or more than a year after the tragedy.
