HONG KONG (SE): The Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs called the repeated suggestions of a lawmaker to impose weekend lockdowns on foreign domestic workers discriminatory and that the need for them to gather in public places was due to the government’s live-in requirement.
During a Legislative Council (Legco) meeting on January 13, lawmaker, Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan, asked the government to consider banning foreign helpers from gathering in public places on their days off claiming that a large number had ignored public gathering restrictions and social distancing measures. She had previously made the same suggestion at the end of December.
According to a report by RTHK, labour secretary, Law Chi-kwong, informed Legco that Quat’s proposal might amount to discrimination. He added that the infection rate among foreign domestic workers was at a low 0.055 per cent compared to the 0.1 per cent for the general public.
Law Chi-kwong, informed Legco that Quat’s proposal might amount to discrimination. He added that the infection rate among foreign domestic workers was at a low 0.055 per cent compared to the 0.1 per cent for the general public.
Law further explained that a lockdown compels people to stay home, but for foreign domestic workers, a lockdown means remaining at their workplace on holidays, which makes no sense.
Law Pui-shan, a research officer of the labour commission told the Sunday Examiner on February 22 that the Quat’s repeated suggestion is discriminatory and ignores the difficulties for foreign domestic workers have in finding a place to rest on their days off.
She said they have to gather in public places because of the mandatory live-in arrangement imposed by the government, making their employers’ home their workplace and rest place as well.
“If they want to leave their workplace, they need to leave their rest place too,” she said.
She further explained that low salaries made it unaffordable for them to rent a place to gather on their days off. So most can only stay on the pavement or parks, even though there is a risk of infection in crowded public areas.
‘If they want to leave their workplace, they need to leave their rest place too’
Law Pui-shan
However, she agreed that some foreign domestic workers may not really be aware of the importance of social distancing and education is important for them. She added that the penalty against gathering is too heavy considering their meagre income.
Currently, public gatherings are restricted to two people and violators may face a fixed penalty of $5,000.
She believes many locals have also shown a lack of awareness about the risks of gathering, such as people hiking in groups, sometimes without masks, shopping together or going to a crowded market, but no legislator has found it necessary to address this, so the suggestions for a weekend lockdown for foreign domestic worker is discrimination.
In an article in the Kung Kao Po on February 14, the commission said that the Covid-19 pandemic presented many challenges and one of them was how to love our neighbours. It urged employers to show foreign domestic workers more understanding instead of withholding their welfare at a time when people are threatened by the Covid-19 virus.
