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| AMCB co-organized the special mass on Chater Road for the Tai Po fire victims |
A group of migrant domestic workers has called on the Hong Kong Labour Department to adequately protect all foreign domestic workers affected by the Tai Po fire by ensuring they get all financial and social support due them, and allowing them to remain in the city until they are hired by a new employer should their contract be terminated.
In a letter sent to Labour Secretary Chris Sun on
Friday, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body through spokesperson Shiela
Bonifacio said it welcomes the government’s swift moves to support FDWs
affected by the fire, such as providing them with a $20,000 one-off subsidy and
dedicated hotline.
“However, we must highlight that MDWs face some
often overlooked unique challenges related to their employment and visa status,
as well as language barriers, which require the government’s integrated
consideration for both the short-term and long-term impacts on MDWs affected by
this fire,” said the AMCB.
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Among the steps proposed by the AMCB is for the
government to set up a multi-lingual information platform that will provide
affected FDWs with simple and up-to-date information on how they can access financial
aid, relief supplies and other support services.
As it is, all the publicity materials regarding these
important information are published only in English or Cantonese, which may not
be easily understood by the affected FDWs, said AMCB.
Another measure suggested is to assign social
workers who are ideally well experienced in dealing with migrant worker issues
to help look into the special needs of the affected FDWs so they can be better
assessed and addressed.
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A third proposal is for the Immigration Department
to come up with a special arrangement for FDWs who may be laid off due to the
fire so they can remain in Hong Kong beyond the 14-day limit provided by law
under normal circumstances.
“This will ensure they have adequate time to find
new employers while recovering from the trauma of the blaze, granting an
exception to the standard "2-week rule."
The fourth proposal is for the creation of a mechanism that will fast-track the monetary claims of FDWs who are terminated, such as wages in arrears, travel fare, employee compensation, long service or severance pay and other entitlements.
In relation to this, the AMCB cited the long list of documents that the Indonesian Consulate General is reportedly requiring affected FDWs to submit, such as a letter of reference from their agencies, photocopies of their passports, HKIDs and other papers, just so they could obtain replacement passports.
The group said it hopes Hong Kong could come up with a more comprehensive response "to address migrant workers’
systemic vulnerabilities" in consultation with consulates,
migrant organizations, and other affected parties.
