View Poll Results: What single law would you change to improve the lot of the FDH's?

Voters
33. You may not vote on this poll
  • Allow FDH's to become PR's after 7 years

    3 9.09%
  • Allow FDH's to stay in HK and work while any dispute with a former employer is ongoing

    3 9.09%
  • Remove the exemption for FHD's from the Anti Discrimination Law

    1 3.03%
  • Remove the special wage laws for FHD's so that the standard minimum wage would apply to them

    1 3.03%
  • Allow FDH's to live out

    14 42.42%
  • Scrap the FDH scheme entirely

    5 15.15%
  • Increase the penalties for breaches of law or contract (e.g. not giving rest days, not proper accom)

    1 3.03%
  • Increase enforcement of the existing laws (e.g. spot inspections, more vigorous prosecution etc)

    4 12.12%
  • None of these - the FDH scheme works fine as it is

    1 3.03%
  • Something else (specify in post)

    0 0%
Like Tree30Likes

What single action would you do to help FDH's?

Closed Thread
Page 3 of 7 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... LastLast
  1. #21

    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Ex Sai Kunger Sunny Qld for now
    Posts
    8,318
    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    The LOCALS as you put it, didnt create shit.

    The Gvt did and not to be a prick that stuff came out (in the 1970ies) when the brits were in charge so drop the BS here and let's not put everything on the back of the LOCALS.....

    As for HK_Katherine - If I could pick only one: Allow Helpers to live out.
    The live out thing wont necessary improve the situation either, but scumlords that enjoy cramming 10 people to a subdivided flat will be rubbing their hands together with glee, should that be allowed.

    The only person ( Australian couple as a matter of fact ) I know who illegally allowed their domestic helper to live out with 8 other helpers and a couple of Sri Lankans in a small village house in Sha Kok Mei, got pregnant lol

    Believe it or not.
    Last edited by Skyhook; 17-06-2014 at 10:26 AM.
    wtbhotia likes this.

  2. #22

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    1,674

    Have to remember if live-out was allowed then a lot of employers may actually insist that the helpers live out making it mandatory rather than optional. In some of these cases, the helper may actually have had better living conditions if they were live-in.

    HK_Katherine likes this.

  3. #23

    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    12,323
    Quote Originally Posted by Skyhook:
    The live out thing wont necessary improve the situation either, but scumlords that enjoy cramming 10 people to a subdivided flat will be rubbing their hands together with glee, should that be allowed.

    The only person ( Australian couple as a matter of fact ) I know who illegally allowed their domestic helper to live out with 8 other helpers and a couple of Sri Lankans in a small village house in Sha Kok Mei, got pregnant lol

    Believe it or not.
    That comment sounds scarily like the standard "it's a bad idea for helpers to live out because they will get pregnant" argument.

    Indeed, I know someone in Singapore who does not give their helper a day off so as to protect them from getting pregnant.

    What is it about helpers that makes people treat these ADULT WOMEN like children?

  4. #24

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    11,884

    How did it work before the live-in rule was put in place? Was there a fixed allowance to cover rent?

    I've seen or heard (firsthand accounts) of extremes on both live-in and live-out arrangements so think that either would have the potential for abuse, but that live-out does give the helper a chance of redressing the balance of power problem inherent in the live-in arrangement.


  5. #25

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Clear Water Bay (In Da Jungle)
    Posts
    9,968
    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    That comment sounds scarily like the standard "it's a bad idea for helpers to live out because they will get pregnant" argument.

    Indeed, I know someone in Singapore who does not give their helper a day off so as to protect them from getting pregnant.

    What is it about helpers that makes people treat these ADULT WOMEN like children?
    My mrs has the same mentality, brain washed by her older sister and probably by her colleagues, when we were 1st hiring a helper, her older sister even told my mrs that we should have the maid injected with the anti pregnancy thing that is inserted in the arm absolutely shocking, yes it can be a pain in the arse if the maid does fall pregnant as you cant fire her or replace her and how can she work if she is pregnant doing the chores that she has to do or what happens while walking the dog she falls down and losses the child etc, these sort of things are worrying but there are better ways of preventing it I reckon.

  6. #26

    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Ex Sai Kunger Sunny Qld for now
    Posts
    8,318
    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    That comment sounds scarily like the standard "it's a bad idea for helpers to live out because they will get pregnant" argument.

    Indeed, I know someone in Singapore who does not give their helper a day off so as to protect them from getting pregnant.

    What is it about helpers that makes people treat these ADULT WOMEN like children?

    Katherine, please dont mince my words around. It is the only example that I know of and that was the outcome. Call it what you will, but it definitely happened.


    And agree with you that helpers have it VERY tough in Singapore, our helper lived there for 2 years and she told me what it was like, ie having to sleep in the kitchen.

    I have asked our helper if she had the choice of living out, or, having the entire 760ft2( net ) middle floor of our house to herself, she said living with us is much nicer. Our helper pretty much does only light duties, as my wife and I do the cooking, alternate between us who drops off the kids and picks them up from school, 50% of the cleaning, only I wash our cars, we walk the dog and we do all the grocery shopping.

    Not all helpers have it tough, in HK. Some are very comfy and treated well.
    Last edited by Skyhook; 17-06-2014 at 11:06 AM.

  7. #27

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Clear Water Bay (In Da Jungle)
    Posts
    9,968
    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    but that live-out does give the helper a chance of redressing the balance of power problem inherent in the live-in arrangement.
    If live out was allowed but no rule set for max working hours, most employers would probably let the helper leave the house once everything was finished, most likely around 9 pm or maybe even later like 10-11 pm and then have the helper come back to the house at 6 am so i dont think it will really help that much but that's just my opinion or even worse call them in the middle of the night to come back to the house to do something, now that would be fecked up.

  8. #28

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    4,040
    Quote Originally Posted by wtbhotia:
    If live out was allowed but no rule set for max working hours, most employers would probably let the helper leave the house once everything was finished, most likely around 9 pm or maybe even later like 10-11 pm and then have the helper come back to the house at 6 am so i dont think it will really help that much but that's just my opinion or even worse call them in the middle of the night to come back to the house to do something, now that would be fecked up.
    Yep. I think these 2 conditions would be a huge step forward. Let them have the same basic protections as other workers in HK... the right to choose where they want to live and some sort of protection against working them around the clock. As it stands, they can legally be worked 24 hours a day, 6 days a week.

  9. #29

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    11,884
    Quote Originally Posted by wtbhotia:
    If live out was allowed but no rule set for max working hours, most employers would probably let the helper leave the house once everything was finished, most likely around 9 pm or maybe even later like 10-11 pm and then have the helper come back to the house at 6 am so i dont think it will really help that much but that's just my opinion or even worse call them in the middle of the night to come back to the house to do something, now that would be fecked up.
    That's a good point, this is the kind of thing that makes me wonder how the system worked before the live-in rule. Policing this would be practically impossible to do though, whereas live-out was something that existed in the past and would be much more practical to re-allow.

  10. #30

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    2,136

    Where are they living out to? Who's going to pay for it? Not sure how reasonable this option is.

    Most they can do is require agency to set up a place where DH can escape to when they feels mentally or physically threatened.

    What is the pregnancy fear exactly about anyways? Is it even about pregnancy? or AIDS?

    Also, what exactly happens when DH gets pregnant? Sent back to home country while employer reapplies for new DH? Any penalty fees for the DH for this?

    Last edited by Creative83; 17-06-2014 at 01:23 PM.

Closed Thread
Page 3 of 7 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... LastLast