FDHs complain of long hours, violence at work

 

Long hours at work is the top complaint of FDHs.

Almost all foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong -- 98 per cent, to be exact -- complained of long working hours last year, topping the list of concerns over their work conditions, the Mission for Migrant Workers said in its latest service report.

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, the Mission's general manager, said this was made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many employers to work from home, and their children to study at home.

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Since most Hong Kong flats are small, the helpers had been forced to time their work to avoid disturbing their employers, thus spending longer hours daily while keeping themselves busy, she said.

This has also led to mental health issues, not just among employers, but especially among helpers who are forced to compromise and not look for a better work environment, lest they be denied a new visa by the Immigration Department for job hopping if they, she added.

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The 2021 Service Report was compiled by the Mission to document the assistance it gave to 8,418 FDHs who approached it last year.

“Our clients usually report more than one problem when they approach us for help,” the Mission said. “For example, someone whose contract got terminated may also complain about illegal collection of agency fees as well as maltreatment.”

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Thus, it added, “the percentages presented here are based on incidence reports from the total number of cases.”

While cases were few, violence was an additional burden for women who are migrant workers, the Mission said.

“From cases of migrant workers who experienced torture – wounded with fishing rods and kitchen implements, ordered to carry extremely heavy loads, and denied medical treatment – to the migrant who was raped and became pregnant due to the abuse, these are cases not usually heard in a developed city like Hong Kong,” it said.

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In its report, the Mission said that of the 98 per cent who reported working long hours, 27 per cent were working more than 16 hours a day and 72 per cent working 11 to 16 hours.

These numbers were essentially unmoved from the previous year, which saw 98 per cent complaining of long hours, 27 per cent of whom were working for more than 16 hours and 71 per cent working 11-16 hours.

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This contrasts with the work conditions in 2019: While those complaining of long hours in 2019 were fewer at 96 per cent along with those working for 11-16 hours at 52 per cent, significantly more were being made to work for more than 16 hours at 44 per cent.

FDHs who were denied statutory holidays also increased last year, with complaints up to 45 per cent from 15 per cent in 2019, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.

Why Migrant Workers seek MFMW help

Source: Mission for Migrant Workers

Other FDH working conditions improved, however, as shown in fewer complaints during the pandemic compared to 2019:

• Insufficient food: 29 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2021,
• Physical abuse: 25 per cent in 2019 to 1 per cent in 2021
• Under-payment: from 13 per cent in 2019 to 2 per cent in 2021
• Unpaid Salary: 3 per cent in 2019 to 1 per cent in 2021
• Documents taken by employer: 8 per cent in 2019 to zero in 2021
•  Documents taken by employment agency: 8 per cent in 2019 to zero in 2021
• Ill-treatment: 25 per cent in 2019 to 7 per cent in 2021
• Rape/sexual harassment: 2 per cent in 2019 to zero in 2021

Warning against holiday gatherings as Covid-19 cases drop slightly to 7,596

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Ching Ming Festival is marked on Apr 5 this year while the Easter holidays wil be from Mar 15-18

Hong Kong posted a slightly lower infection figure of 7,596 on Tuesday, as health officials warned people not to gather during the upcoming Ching Ming festival and Easter holidays.

The new tally is just slightly lower than the 7,685 recorded yesterday, but is the fourth consecutive day that the daily count has been in the four digits.

Cases confirmed from positive rapid test results numbered 4,432 while there were an additional 3,164 cases from PCR tests conducted by laboratories.

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A total of more than 1.13 million infections have been reported in the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said that while there has been a continuous drop in the daily reported cases, the number is still high and it’s difficult to forecast that no more surge will occur.

Chuang said people should refrain from going out in the coming holidays to prevent a new spike in cases.

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The Omicron outbreak intensified after the Chinese New Year in mid-February, prompting the authorities to forbid multi-household gatherings.

Earlier, government health adviser David Hui issued the same warning, saying he was concerned that public gatherings during the upcoming holidays would cause a rebound in Covid-19 infections.

Speaking on a radio show, Hui said there are still a lot of infected persons with little or no symptoms, and they could easily pass on the virus to others if people gathered.

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“If more families gather, then the risk of an outbreak is high. I think people should go tomb sweeping on separate days... and people can go on weekends too,” Hui said.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority reported 149 additional deaths from Covid-19, including 129 who passed away at public hospitals in the past 24 hours. Twenty others died between Mar 25 and 27 but their cases were not reported on time.

The official fatality toll stands at 7,358 overall, with the death rate at 0.65%. However, health experts say the cases will still have to be analyzed to determine the actual number that are directly attributable to the coronavirus.

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Chuang mentioned two deaths involving elderly persons, both unvaccinated, who passed away at the privately-run medical facility at Chinese University which has been accepting Covid-positive cases.

One of them, a 106-year-old woman, was determined to have died from the coronavirus using guidelines from the World Health Organization, said Chuang.

The patient who suffered from chronic illnesses tested positive on Mar 15, and was transferred to CUHK on Mar 21. She passed on yesterday.

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The other fatality is a 89-year-old man with chronic illnesses who tested positive on Mar 5 and was transferred to CUHK on Mar 16. Another test conducted on Mar 27 yielded a negative result, but he died of bacterial pneumonia yesterday.

Chuang said the man’s death has been classified as not directly related to Covid.

Health Director Ronald Lam inspects added spaces at Kowloon mortuary 

Responding to a reporter’s query, Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority confirmed the death of a 25-year-old woman with blood-related ailment who was found unconscious at her Kennedy Town home by family members.

The woman was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead. A post-mortem showed she was positive for Covid-19.

Ho said the woman had two doses of a Covid vaccine. Her death will be added to the fatality toll tomorrow.

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Two deaths of male patients who were both under 60 years old were also reported.

One was a 43 years old who suffered from diabetes and had undergone surgery following a stroke and brain hemorrhage. Tests done before the surgery showed he was Covid positive. Ho said experts will determine the immediate cause of death.

The other one was 49 years old and a substance abuser who suffered from delusions. Although he tested positive for coronavirus, Ho said it was probably his long history of abuse of psychotropic drugs that caused his death.

Separately, Ho said more than 20, 000 infected patients have been prescribed oral antivirals as of yesterday.

The first drug, Molnupiravir, was prescribed by doctors to residents of elderly care homes from Mar 4, while Paxlovid was dispensed on Mar 16.

Ho said both medicines have proved effective in treating Covid-19 that they are now available at public hospitals, community treatment facilities, designated clinics and elderly care homes.

Thirteen private hospitals have also started prescribing the drugs. Ho said the HA is discussing with the medical industry on whether more private doctors should be allowed to prescribe the drugs to patients.

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HK Disneyland, other theme parks set to reopen from Apr 21

By The SUN

 

Mickey and company will soon be welcoming guests to the theme park late next month

Hong Kong Disneyland is set to reopen from Apr 21 when social distancing rules are expected to be relaxed, but will initially operate at half its usual capacity.

This was disclosed at a Legislative Council meeting on Monday by Commerce and Development Secretary Edward Yau who said theme parks will reopen gradually in accordance with the government’s roadmap.

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Citing Disneyland as an example, Yau said it will open to 50 % capacity in the first stage of the relaxation of rules, and up to 75% in the next stage.

The park has been closed since Jan 7 after the government tightened social-distancing measures to contain a raging Omicron outbreak.

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Hong Kong Disney’s managing director Michael Moriarty told lawmakers he was encouraged by the news that they could start operating again.

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He said he is confident that the park can improve its financial performance, which has been in the red for the past seven years.

“When we are open we do well,” he said, adding that in the first quarter of the current fiscal year it was able to break even.

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“I’m confident that when we do open up again we’ll be able to have similar results going forward,” he continued.

Lawmakers have been pressing the government to cut down on its exposure in the resort which last year reported a massive loss of $2.4 billion, largely to due to repeated closures because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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At the same session, the Tourism Board told lawmakers they plan to spend at least $100 million in promoting Hong Kong as a travel destination for mainland tourists after the pandemic subsides.

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The board’s executive director, Dane Cheng said a poll conducted with mainland residents showed half of them wanted to travel to Hong Kong again when the restrictions are eased. 

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Covid-19 cases fall to just over 7,000

By The SUN 

Dr Chuang advises people to go to countryside instead of malls to stop the virus spread

The number of new coronavirus cases in Hong Kong fell anew on Monday to 7,685.

That’s down from the 8,037 cases recorded on Sunday and the third day in a row that the number has fallen to four digits.

Of the new infections, 4,458 were confirmed from positive rapid tests reported on the government platform while 3,227 were from PCR tests.

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All but five of the cases were locally acquired. The imported cases were from Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Ireland.

The city’s total infection tally in the fifth wave has now exceeded 1.12 million.

Despite the recent decline in positive cases, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection warned of a possible rebound because a lot of people have been going out recently.

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She said that if residents want to go out they should consider going to the countryside instead of shopping malls or other enclosed spaces to avoid gathering in large numbers.

While the number of infections has eased, the fatality toll remained high, with another 168 deaths being reported.

This included 143 patients who passed away in public hospitals in the past 24 hours and 25 whose deaths were not reported on time.

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They raised the city’s Covid-related death toll in the fifth wave to 7,207.

The recent fatalities were aged 51 to 100 years old, with 130 of them aged 65 and above. Those who were below 60 all suffered from chronic or serious ailments.

An overwhelming majority, or 120, of the deceased were unvaccinated or had only one dose of a Covid vaccine.

Dr Ho says all deaths will be analyzed to see if Covid was the direct cause

Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority said a team of experts will soon be formed to analyze all the death cases individually, from the time of admission and treatment to whether they had underlying condition or if they were vaccinated.

This analysis will give authorities a better idea of whether the deaths were really due to Covid, and as a result a more accurate death rate can be asertained. 

Ho said there are now 11, 043 patients receiving treatment at public hospitals and the elderly isolation facility at AsiaWorld-Expo.

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Among them, 19 are in critical condition, 32 are in serious condition while 108 patients are in intensive care.

A total of 411 patients were discharged from various hospitals in the past day.

Ho announced that with the Covid situation stabilizing confirmed children will be allowed to stay in the same ward with family members.

If only the children were infected, their parents who are Covid-free may now be able to accompany them in hospitals.  

At the height of the Omicron outbreak, hospital authorities had been criticized for separating sick children from their parents, many of whom had pleaded to stay even at the risk of getting infected themselves. .

Meanwhile, the government said it will start distributing anti-virus care packs to some 2.7 million households starting on Saturday.

Each bag will contain 20 rapid test kits, 20 KN95 masks and two boxes of Chinese medicines.

Acting secretary for home affairs Jack Chan said around three million bags will be packed at more than 100 service centers over the next three days.

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Consulate issues overseas voting schedule, but silent on help it needs to hold polls

 

Consulate's advisory on the upcoming Overseas Voting in HK

The Consulate urged Filipinos in Hong Kong on Sunday to vote early in guidelines it issued on the one-month overseas voting exercise which starts on April 10 at the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town.

But it has yet to convene groups it will need in holding the polls – volunteers, political parties, poll watchers and the media -- to prepare for possible problems that might occur when the vote begins, such as complying with the Hong Kong government’s social distancing protocols.

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In its Facebook announcement, the Consulate said voters will know if they are qualified to vote in Hong Kong by opening Hong Kong’s certified list of overseas voters (CLOV). The CLOV can be opened here: https://comelec.gov.ph/php-tpls-attachments/OverseasVoting/2022NLE/CLOV/ASIA_PAC/HONG_KONG.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3qsQsy_w4RsTk_6MGd-hYzji7xVqN5ttZGnPy5EmUQ0jyhAkwdm9WIJlY.

If one’s name is on the list, they can go straight to the Bayanihan Center with their passport or Hong Kong ID. There, they will be informed of their precinct number, where they need proceed to cast their ballots.

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Bayanihan will be open from April 10 to May 8 at 8am to 5pm, and on May 9 itself at 8am to 7pm.

The announcement dismayed Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, one of 1Sambayan Hong Kong, who noted that while the Consulate has issued the guidelines for voters, those with various roles to play in conducting the election have yet to  be summoned by Consul General Raly Tejada.

Among the concerns, for example, are checking the ballots and the voting equipment and ensuring their security. "We've been doing these every election," she said. "How could we ensure that these are secure?"

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"We don't even have inspections and trainings for the SBEIs (Special Board of Election Inspectors)," she added.

With the pandemic, she said, "how can we ensure that more OFWs will be able to vote? What is their strategy, or are they looking to just get it over with?"

She suggested that Tejada call even an online meeting immediately "so we would at least know what problems we are facing, and hopefully, we can all work together in finding solutions to them.”

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Except for posting the voters' list on its website last Feb. 7, the Consulate has been silent on its election preparations. In the meantime, some deadlines have passed.

A Commission on Elections advisory from Manila, for example, set March 10 as the deadline for accrediting media personnel who will be allowed to enter the voting centers in the Philippines as part of their work. As of March 27, no announcements or application forms have been issued to the media in Hong Kong.

In previous overseas voting exercises, the Consulate had involved the Filipino community in getting as many Filipinos to register and vote.

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With the Consulate’s leadership and the support of the community, Hong Kong became the topnotcher among Philippine outposts worldwide in the number of voters registered for the first ever overseas voting,  held from April 11 to May 10, 2004.

Such support included the community donating the desks and some computers used in the voting center.

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A source at the Consulate said election paraphernalia have arrived from the Comelec in Manila.

Although he did not give details, these are assumed to include ballots and accompanying documents and supplies such as indelible ink, as well as equipment such as computers and electronic ballot-readers.

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