Fifty members from various migrant domestic worker organizations joined a dialogue called by Hong Kong Labour Department officials on August 3 for the annual review of migrant workers’ wages in the country.
Before the dialogue, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB-IMA-HK), a coalition of Hong Kong based migrant organizations, protested outside the Labour Department building in Sheung Wan to demand a living wage of $6,172 and a food allowance of $3,123.
The AMCB presented the long-standing call to increase the monthly salary of migrant domestic workers and level it with Hong Kong workers’ minimum wages during the dialogue. At the very least, migrants should earn enough to survive and support their families in their home countries.
The group also called for the standard worker contracts to clearly state the number of working hours, an exact definition of “proper accommodation,” and decent food.
Migrants also demanded an end to accusations of “job-hopping,” the option not to live inside the employer’s home, and the removal of the ban on Nepalese workers. They also presented in the dialogue the need to eliminate conditions and fees before working and to penalize agencies that conduct illegal practices.
“We will continue to call on the Hong Kong government to address workers’ long-standing problems and take concrete action,” the ACMB-IMA-HK said.
