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FDH from Cambodia due to elder care needs

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  1. #21

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    @HK_Katherine I don't mean to say they shouldn't come here and work - they should. But in my opinion the minimum salaries are too low. And the reason they are low is so that everyone can have an FDH essentially - even if they can't really afford one and/or provide her with the living space and amount of food she needs.

    But it's a Catch-22 because there's no alternative care provision - it's very limited in HK from my understanding. And homes are too small to have grandma move in when she can't take care of herself so that necessitates they stay at their own house and hire a helper.

    There's no easy solutions in the short term but in the long term this is a major issue for HK to deal with and so far they seem to just be kicking the can down the road. If the society needs elder care then it should invest in it. I don't consider widening the list of countries where FDH can come from to be an investment.


  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by merchantms:
    @HK_Katherine I don't mean to say they shouldn't come here and work - they should. But in my opinion the minimum salaries are too low. And the reason they are low is so that everyone can have an FDH essentially - even if they can't really afford one and/or provide her with the living space and amount of food she needs.

    But it's a Catch-22 because there's no alternative care provision - it's very limited in HK from my understanding. And homes are too small to have grandma move in when she can't take care of herself so that necessitates they stay at their own house and hire a helper.

    There's no easy solutions in the short term but in the long term this is a major issue for HK to deal with and so far they seem to just be kicking the can down the road. If the society needs elder care then it should invest in it. I don't consider widening the list of countries where FDH can come from to be an investment.
    FDH salaries are not particularly out of line with minimum wage in HK if you take into account the value of the housing and food they get (assuming a proper relationships with a room and proper food, yes I know some are treated worse than this).

    Not sure what other elder care facilities make sense here. Given a choice between putting my parents in a home vs a helper in their own home - it's a no brainer that a helper in their own home is better. Not sure how anyone could think that is not true. At least until they need medical care all the time.

    The only other option that I see in other countries which is "nice" is the retirement village concept, where people live independently but can call on help as required. That seems to require a LOT of space - most of those villas are larger than HK apartments! So again, staying in one's own home with help (and with one's own neighbours) seems to be just as good.

    I just don't see moving to a different model as actually being BETTER. What am I missing? What investment do you want to improve things?

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by merchantms:
    @HK_Katherine I don't mean to say they shouldn't come here and work - they should. But in my opinion the minimum salaries are too low.
    Too Low?? The minimum wage and the laws that protect them in HK are in my opinion better then other countries in ASIA

    Look at Singapore where it was only recently the minimum salary was raised to SGD570 = HK$3278 and in SG there is no law that says the helper must get 1 day off a week.

    Minimum pay raised for Filipino maids here, Manpower News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

    and dont even talk about the middle east where the wages are really shit for such rich countries and also NO DAYS OFF per week.

    If I was living in a poor country I would try my best to find a DH job in HK if I couldnt get a work visa job in HK.

  4. #24

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    @chuckster007 in my opinion working 16 hours a day 6 days a week as an elder care nurse for $4300 a month is too low of a salary. I don't care if in their home country or in Middle East countries that have no human rights values at all, they earn less.

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  5. #25

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    The rich exploit the poor who hope to come out of poverty by working for the rich.

    Story of Humanity since day 1 (and nothing will ever, ever change - sadly).

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  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckster007:
    Too Low?? The minimum wage and the laws that protect them in HK are in my opinion better then other countries in ASIA

    Look at Singapore where it was only recently the minimum salary was raised to SGD570 = HK$3278 and in SG there is no law that says the helper must get 1 day off a week.
    I believe this was changed in 2013, helpers in Singapore get one day off per week.
    chuckster007 likes this.

  7. #27

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    The evidence needed to prove you have provided decent living quarters for a domestic helper is negligible resulting in rampant abuse.

    Pay is one aspect conditions are just as important.


  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckster007:
    Too Low?? The minimum wage and the laws that protect them in HK are in my opinion better then other countries in ASIA

    Look at Singapore where it was only recently the minimum salary was raised to SGD570 = HK$3278 and in SG there is no law that says the helper must get 1 day off a week.

    Minimum pay raised for Filipino maids here, Manpower News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

    and dont even talk about the middle east where the wages are really shit for such rich countries and also NO DAYS OFF per week.

    If I was living in a poor country I would try my best to find a DH job in HK if I couldnt get a work visa job in HK.
    It just means Hong Kong is the best of a bad bunch. Their salary is low in HK, lower in Singapore, and lower in the Middle East with worse treatment! But overall, it may be better for them in HK than working at an even lower paid job in the Philippines.

  9. #29

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    Reading through the arguments on this thread, i really want to recommend "The Price of Everything" by Eduardo Porter.

    Its really interesting reading, and some of the theories and logic in the book may help explain the perspective of a Hong Kong person hiring a helper, and the perspective of a Domestic Helper coming over to work. For a salary that some think is low but others think is appropriate.


  10. #30

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    I feel for you regarding your parents' situation as I have had a similar experience. However, in the UK, a FDH would have to be paid the living wage as opposed to slave wages and, quite rightly, s/he would be entitled to the same right as other workers in the UK. That said, as a Brit, trying to get your foreign spouse into the UK on a settlement visa is currently impossible if you don't meet the Home Office's financial requirements, which are difficult when self-employed. So, bringing in a FDH would be an ordeal, though I guess if you have the money you can do anything.