New People's Party Legislative Council member Chan Ka-pei proposed a motion to "regulate foreign domestic helper agencies and protect employment rights" at the Legislative Council today (20th).
The original motion amended by Li Zhenqiang of the Liberal Party, Yan Wenyu of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong and Xie Weijun was finally passed in a group vote.
Legislative Councilor Ho Kwan-yao said that the mainland has abundant human resources available for use. He believes that when importing domestic helpers, we should not choose near and far. He also said that we should respect and cherish the contributions made by the working class. , must use the paper to "cover the grapefruit", describing the method as not "humane treatment", and think that the government will provide support for foreign domestic helpers. dignity".
Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, reiterated that the current entry arrangement for importing domestic helpers does not apply to Chinese residents of the Mainland, Macau Special Administrative Region or Taiwan, as well as nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Nepal and Vietnam, emphasizing that the practice is based on Considering immigration control and security, the government has no plans to change it at this stage.
Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, said that the current entry arrangement for importing domestic helpers does not apply to Chinese residents in the Mainland, the Macao Special Administrative Region or Taiwan, as well as Afghanistan and other places, emphasizing that the approach is based on immigration control and security considerations.
(Photo by O Jiale)
Xie Weijun: Hiring Mainland domestic helpers is "politically correct"
Xie Weijun said that according to a survey published in 2016, 60% of the 65-year-olds have a secondary education level or below, and their English proficiency is quite limited. : "Sometimes we don't just do business. Communication within the family is very important. During the recent epidemic period, we spent a lot of time with housing companies and foreign domestic helpers, and we communicated with each other so much that the physical and mental balance of the family is much more important."
Xie Weijun pointed out that some parents hire foreign domestic helpers to improve their children's English level. He believes that the central government wants to improve the Mandarin level in Hong Kong and Macau. In the case of "political correctness", it is more suitable for the national conditions to switch to "domestic domestic helpers".
Leung Mei-fan, a member of the Pakatan Harapan Legislative Council, believes that "it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself", and believes that Hong Kong should also consider releasing the domestic labor force so that retired and motivated women can participate in courses such as confinement classes.
(Photo by O Jiale)
Leung Mei-fen advocates the release of Hong Kong's female labor force: it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself
Regarding Tse Wai-chun's suggestion to introduce "domestic domestic helpers", Pakatan Harapan Legislative Council member Leung Mei-fan believed that "it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself", pointing out that other countries have reviewed the impact of women's long-term work abroad on the country, and believes that Hong Kong should also consider releasing domestic labor , so that retired and strong women can participate in courses such as confinement classes.
He Junyao said that foreign domestic helpers are not hamsters and must take care of their dignity and needs
He Junyao said that he fully supported the main motion and the amendments. He believed that the Labour and Welfare Bureau should consider macro-control in the allocation of human resources. The import of foreign domestic helpers should not only rely on the current few countries, but should consider importing domestic domestic helpers. There are so many human resources in the country that I don’t know how to use it, so what is the solution?” He Junyao emphasized that the contribution of the working class must be respected and cherished, lamenting that when foreign domestic helpers gather on the street during the holidays, they must “cover the baskets of grapefruit with cardboard” ”, describing the approach as not “humane” and arguing that the government must provide support for foreign domestic helpers: “They are human beings, they are not ordinary hamsters or animals, and their needs and dignity must be taken care of.”
Guan Haoming advocates the introduction of competition: foreign domestic helpers are not "heaven's favored sons"
Guan Haoming, a member of the Election Committee, said that when Filipino domestic helpers were introduced in Hong Kong in the early days, "many people thought it was good", but later they thought that Filipino domestic helpers were not performing well and had problems getting along. To avoid problems related to cultural differences, he believes that to solve problems such as cultural differences, we should introduce competition to let foreign domestic helpers know that they are not "heaven's favored people", or that they can bargain with their employers at will.
Guan Haoming, a member of the election committee, believes that.
To address issues such as cultural differences, the introduction of competition should allow foreign domestic helpers to know that they are not "heavenly favored" or that they can bargain with their employers at will.
(Photo by O Jiale)
Ho Chun-hsien: What is the brain structure of the Labor and Welfare Bureau?
Ho Chun-hsien of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong criticized the government's complete lag in the legal system and mechanism involving foreign domestic helpers, and the problem of "job skipping" is a serious problem during the epidemic. Some foreign domestic helpers in a friend's home "jumped work" because of their monthly salary of 8,000 yuan. He also said that they should make an appointment quickly. The practice of quarantine hotels for foreign domestic helpers is unfair, and he bluntly said, "I don't know what the brain system of the Labor and Welfare Bureau is."
Election Committee Member Lam Shun-chio shared his personal experience in his speech. He pointed out that foreign domestic helpers can help liberate the labor force of Hong Kong families. He recalled that when he and his wife were considering whether to travel to and from China and Hong Kong for work, if there were no foreign domestic helpers to take care of their children at home, they would have to worry about going back and forth between the two places. Work discouraged.
He also recalled that when he and his wife were considering whether to have a third child, the decision to have children was made because the foreign domestic helper provided sufficient support for the family.
Lam Shun-chio pointed out that foreign domestic helpers have a great influence on the growth of their children. The second son himself went to a traditional school, but found that he had a dyslexia, so he was transferred to an international school. He had to communicate with foreign domestic helpers in English every day, so his Chinese proficiency was poor. He felt heartbroken because "we are always Chinese who love the country and Hong Kong" and agreed with the suggestion of introducing domestic domestic helpers from the Mainland.
The Federation of Trade Unions, Mak Meijuan, asked for a registered vote on Tse Wai-chun's amendment. In the Election Committee category, 21 members voted in favor and 14 members abstained, while the functional constituencies and district direct election categories voted in favor of 27 and 4 With 16 votes against and 16 abstentions, the motion was passed.
Zhang Xinyu, Lin Suwei, Yang Yongjie and the legal profession Lin Xinqiang voted against, and the motion was passed by the group counting; Chen Jiapei's original motion was also passed by the group counting by a large margin.
Omicron│Government patrols for foreign domestic helpers, please don't gather in Victoria Park on Sunday to prosecute an unlicensed sale of foreign domestic helpers. Quarantine | Huayi Hotel in Tsing Yi offers an additional 150 room price plus 50 yuan. Employers can grab the room tomorrow morning Follow group regulations to step up inspections in Victoria Park and other places on Sunday
