At present, there are about 350,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, and the phenomenon of "job skipping" under the epidemic has attracted much attention.
The DAB submitted the "Proposal to Improve the Policy on Foreign Domestic Helpers" to Chief Executive Li Jiachao today (30th), and put forward 13 recommendations for the government, foreign domestic helper agencies, employers and foreign domestic helpers, which are expected to be included in the "Policy Address" in October.
The DAB criticized the current foreign domestic helper policy as being backward, mainly still following the measures established in 1973 and failing to solve the current foreign domestic helper problem.
Among them, many employers complained that many foreign domestic helpers were concerned about the shortage of foreign domestic helpers during the epidemic and the sharp increase in demand, which led to "break the contract" and increase labor.
Some members of the public reported that foreign domestic helpers "jumped work" in the housing estate
Gan Wenyu, chairman of the Family Affairs Committee of the DAB, pointed out that the most complaints the party has received include unknown fees charged by foreign domestic helpers, differences in the service quality of foreign domestic helpers and interviews, and foreign domestic helpers "breaking out of contracts and skipping jobs".
Xiao Weizhong, a member of the party's family affairs committee, pointed out that the problem of "job skipping" was particularly serious during the fifth wave of the epidemic. There was a complaint that the foreign domestic helper made an appointment in March, but the employer was in the same housing estate two months later. I bumped into the foreign domestic helper.
Xiao Weizhong also pointed out that employers are most annoyed at the fact that the "mandatory minimum wage" for foreign domestic helpers is 4,630 yuan per month.
Mandatory experience of foreign domestic helpers to show proof of previous employer
The DAB recommends that the government step up efforts to crack down on illegal foreign domestic helper agencies and "job-hopping" foreign domestic helpers, including increasing the cost of "job-hopping" foreign domestic helpers and unscrupulous foreign domestic helper agents, and adding "early termination compensation fees".
Unless the employer is due to transfer, immigration, death or financial difficulties and other reasonable reasons, if the foreign domestic helper fails to complete the contract on time (i.e. a two-year work period), he must leave Hong Kong within seven days; the foreign domestic helper who claims to have work experience must show Proof of work performance evaluation completed by the previous employer, for the new employer's reference, etc.
In addition, the DAB put forward 12 recommendations to improve the current foreign domestic helper policy, including the establishment of the "Foreign Domestic Helper Matters Supervision Authority"; review of the "Standard Employment Contract"; "Code of Practice for Employment Agencies" on fee details and guarantee terms; establish a scoring system for foreign domestic helpers; regulate foreign domestic helper dormitories; set up training courses; set up new guidelines for foreign domestic helper lending; set up an independent information website for employers; tax; set up a foreign domestic helper inquiry and special department; add an overseas domestic helper center.
The trade union alleges that the skipping policy exploits foreign domestic helpers’ freedom to suspend their contractual rights and urges the Immigration Department to face up to the problem. Relying on law enforcement alone, advocating the establishment of intermediary qualifications to test foreign domestic helpers for job-hopping | The Immigration Department announced that more than 1,000 visa applications were rejected in the first 10 months, saying that the situation is getting worse. follow up