Int'l Domestic Workers' Day: Migrant workers' coalition calls for ‘living wage,' regulation of working hours

HKFP

5 hours ago

A Hong Kong coalition of migrant worker associations and unions has called on the government to give domestic workers 'a living wage' and regulate working hours.
In a statement issued on Monday to mark International Domestic Workers' Day, the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body (AMCB) said that the common complaints they received from migrant workers were 'long working hours, no regular day off, termination and accommodation problems.'
From January to June, the Indonesian Migrant Workers' Union (IMWU), the Filipino Migrant Workers' Union (FMWU) and the Mission for Migrant Workers Union (MFMW) received complaints from 916 domestic workers, the statement said.
Around 41 per cent of the workers said they worked 11 to 16 hours a day, while another 11 per cent complained they worked over 16 hours per day.
In addition, more than 11 per cent said they did not have a regular rest day and still worked even on their day off before leaving their employer's home.
While there is no statutory limit on working hours for foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, standard employment contracts stipulate they should enjoy a rest day for a continuous period of at least 24 hours every seven days.
However, 'this is rarely followed, with many being given or imposed a curfew on their rest day,' the statement said.
A spokesperson for the AMCB – who gave only her initials, JP – told HKFP on Monday that every domestic worker should enjoy at least 11 hours of rest per day, including sleeping and meal breaks.
JP also said that domestic workers who chose to terminate their contracts before the end of the two-year period, largely because they suffered from long working hours and lack of proper sleeping space – with some forced to sleep in kitchens – often faced accusations of 'job-hopping.'
The AMCB also demanded that domestic workers earn a living wage of HK$6,127 per month.
Migrant domestic workers are not only 'excluded from the statutory minimum wage' but also receive 'slave wages,' the AMCB said. 'This is not enough to recognize the work and contribution of migrant workers here in Hong Kong.'
The current monthly minimum wage for foreign domestic workers is HK$4,990. Employers are also required to provide food for domestic workers or give a monthly food allowance of HK$1,236, or around HK$40 per day.
In May, Hong Kong raised its statutory minimum wage to HK$42.10 per hour.
Domestic workers' rights advocates from the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions (FADWU) met with the Labour Department in August to call for a 'living wage' of HK$6,300 per month, plus a food allowance of HK$2,700.