OF AND IN THE COURSE OF EMPLOYMENT.
EMPLOYERS WILL NOT BE OBLIGED
TO PROVIDE GENERAL MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES SINCE
EMPLOYERS OF LOCAL WORKERS ARE NOT OBLIGED TO DO SO. FDHS ARE
ENTITLED TO SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT FROM GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, THE
EXPENSES OF WHICH SHOULD BE BORNE BY EMPLOYERS UNDER THE EXISTING
CONTRACTS.
INITIAL REACTION TO NEW ARRANGEMENTS
14. FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS, SOME FDHS HAVE
COMPLAINED THAT THEY WILL BE RENDERED MORE VULNERABLE TO
MALTREATMENT BY EMPLOYERS. THE PHILIPPINE CONSUL-GENERAL, VICENTE
G. REYES, ALSO ISSUED A PUBLIC STATEMENT MAKING THE FOLLOWING
POINTS :
HE WAS NOT CONSULTED ON THE NEW PROPOSALS, ONLY BRIEFED
SHORTLY BEFORE THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT SEMICOLON
- HE HAD WRITTEN TO THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY IN 1936 MAKING
CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS WHEN RUMOURS OF A POLICY REVIEW FIRST
CIRCULATED, BUT HAD NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY SEMICOLON
IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THERE BE PROVISIONS FOR IMMEDIATE APPEAL
IN CASES OF ARBITRARY TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT OR ABUSE.
GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO INITIAL REACTION
15. IT WAS ANTICIPATED THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME ADVERSE REACTION
FROM THOSE WHOSE CONDITIONS OF STAY ARE BEING TIGHTENED. SEVERAL
DEPARTMENTS OF THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT (DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT, PHILIPPINES OVERSEAS
EMPLOYMENT AGENCY) WERE BRIEFED ABOUT THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS ON 8 AND
APRIL BY THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN MANILA. THE CONSUL-GENERAL
HIMSELF COULD NOT BE BRIEFED SIMULTANEOUSLY BECAUSE HE WAS IN
MANILA AT THE TIME BUT WAS CONTACTED IMMEDIATELY ON HIS RETURN.
THE 1986 LETTER FROM THE CONSUL-GENERAL HAD BEEN NOTED. IT IS
CONSIDERED THAT THERE IS ADEQUATE PROVISION IN THE PROCEDURES TO
DEAL WITH ANY EXCEPTIONAL CASES SUCH AS MALTREATMENT BY EMPLOYERS.
LINE TO TAKE
16.
IN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS, YOU MAY DRAW FREELY ON THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS TELEGRAM.
17. FOR YOUR BACKGROUND INFORMATION, YOU MAY WISH TO KNOW THAT THE
INCREASE IN LOWEST POSSIBLE WAGE (PLEASE AVOID USING THE TERM
MINIMUM WAGE) WAS WELCOMED AND THE REASONS FOR THE OTHER MEASURES
UNDERSTOOD BY THE PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT. IN GENERAL, HONG KONG
HAS A GOOD REPUTATION AS AN EMPLOYER IN THE PHILIPPINES. THE
PHILIPPINE AUTHORITIES HAVE MORE DIFFICULTIES WITH SAUDI ARABIA,
JAPAN AND SINGAPORE.
19.
IF ASKED TO EXPLAIN THE RESTRICTIONS ON THE CONDITIONS OF
EMPLOYMENT OF FDHS, IN PARTICULAR THE BAN ON PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT
YOU MAY WISH TO MAKE THE POINT THAT HKG IS TRYING TO BE FAIR TO
BOTH EMPLOYERS AND FDHS, AS WELL AS TO THE SURPLUS OF LOCAL PEOPLE
WHO ARE PREPARED TO WORK AS PAPT-TIME DOMESTIC HELPERS.
Confidential
119.