Employer abandons domestic helper

[justjoe86]

Oops. Ok so it was a joke. I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't realise!

[LittleCamel]

Really, sometimes I think the forum people here don't bother to use their brains.
And thank you very much for this nice fairy tale as I do not believe a single word. Why don't you just send me a PM with the name of the DH and her employer and I will make sure that the employer gets sued their asses off.

The first thing what a maid will learn when they are in the training center is THEIR CONTRACT. A familiy hires a maid and is obliged to pay them montly their salary and provide her food and accomodation. These paragraphes are stated explicit in the contract. If the employer fails to meet their obligations, they commit a breach in contract and the maid can sue them for compensation and her ticket home. The employer will be punished severally by the Hong Kong law and with high penalty. Every maid in Hong Kong do have a maid agency where they can get their advises and also accomodation in case they get fired and need to wait for the flight home. (of course if they are hired legally and through an agent).

BTW, Nice try ...

[jimbo]

Personally I have no reason to doubt PenguinSix.

[Morrison]

what's Joe Camel doing here ?

"In July 1997, under pressure from the impending Mangini trial, Congress and various public-interest groups, RJR announced it would settle out of court and voluntarily end its Joe Camel campaign."

Joe Camel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[hullexile]

Really, sometimes I think the forum people here don't bother to use their brains.
And thank you very much for this nice fairy tale as I do not believe a single word. Why don't you just send me a PM with the name of the DH and her employer and I will make sure that the employer gets sued their asses off.

The first thing what a maid will learn when they are in the training center is THEIR CONTRACT. A familiy hires a maid and is obliged to pay them montly their salary and provide her food and accomodation. These paragraphes are stated explicit in the contract. If the employer fails to meet their obligations, they commit a breach in contract and the maid can sue them for compensation and her ticket home. The employer will be punished severally by the Hong Kong law and with high penalty. Every maid in Hong Kong do have a maid agency where they can get their advises and also accomodation in case they get fired and need to wait for the flight home. (of course if they are hired legally and through an agent).

BTW, Nice try ...

They can get accommodation from their agency? Where did you get that from?

How can the maid sue for compensation when the employer is no longer in the country?

Camel, I think the sand has got in your brain.

[carang]

and we all know that no one EVER breaks the law... and no one EVER falls foul of a contract.

seriously? what reason do you have to doubt the story? (i'm not saying that the story is true or not, but why do YOU doubt it?)

[penguinsix]

I really wish it wasn't true as I've got a other things I'd rather be doing, but my helper asked me to assist her friend so I posted here the other day seeking some advice (and PDLM's recommendation has been extremely helpful).

As for an update, she has two offers! She has to choose between the two families and then technically extricate herself out of the previous contract somehow (I think she has to do so in writing, if they can find the previous employers). I think she was told once the housing and salary stopped the contract "ends" and the immigration deadlines kick in, so she also has to notify immigration within 7 days of the "termination" and then leave HK within 14 days, so I guess that clock is now running.

Helpers for Helpers have been very helpful to her. I'd never heard of them but then again before this I never really knew much about the intricacies of domestic helper rules. Here is the link should anyone come to the thread later with a similar situation.

St John's Cathedral

[justjoe86]

Really, sometimes I think the forum people here don't bother to use their brains.

Bla bla bla

*Yawn*

Where's the 'dislike' button, anyway?

[hello_there]

Camel: what are you on about? How, precisely, would you propose that a domestic helper who likely barely has the means to get herself back to the Philippines, goes about suing an employer Whe LEFT the country? Is she going to figure out to to serve process abroad or be able to afford a lawyer to do it for her??? And if miraculously and after some expense she gets a default judgment for breach of contract, how is she going to enforce it when the family has moved out of HK?

And why would you doubt the story?? The OP is probably in a pretty good position to check if his neighbor has moved out of the building. I also volunteer at Helpers for Domestic Helpers and cases of employers taking advantage of their helpers are sadly more common and in many cases more bizarre and cruel than I would have imagined. If you really want to help, don't rant about suing a long gone employer, go down to HDH and volunteer your time to help Helpers in a constructive manner.

[Raccon]

How can the maid sue for compensation when the employer is no longer in the country?

Besides, is a maid financially in the position to sue? Do they get assistance from one of the helper agencies?