090611 Law favours foreign helpers

Law favours foreign helpers

Within one week of coming to work in my home my domestic helper told me she intended to quit at the end of the month. She admitted to me that she had come to Hong Kong not to be a domestic helper, but to learn the fine art of massage so that she could work as a masseuse at a five-star hotel in one of the tourist areas of Bali. She had tried to get a job there on one occasion, but had been rejected. She had heard about the loopholes in Hong Kong law which meant that she would not [automatically] have to go back home if she quit or was fired. She had been informed of this by her employment agency. My new helper was delighted to learn that she would be taking care of my 24-month-old boy as she has a baby girl of her own. But after two weeks, she became upset because my baby reminded her of her girl. After three months she said she wanted to go home. People talk about these poor helpers who have come a long way from home and who are being abused and exploited by their employers. However, the law in Hong Kong gives these helpers too much protection. Is there any law to protect the helpless and vulnerable employers? My family suffered emotionally and financially on each occasion the helpers decided to quit. We had to pay agency fees and cover their airfares. They did not have to worry about such expenses. I think it is high time the government revised the laws and protected employers from agencies which act in an inappropriate manner. A. Li, Mid-Levels Copyright (c) 2009. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.