They have been referred (by their Consulate) to one of the missions who are trying to organize legal assistance. They presently live in fear of the other sister losing her job as well and if the employer wins the dispute - she will counter-claim for the HK$ 3,000 that a helper owes the employer when they leave without one month's notice!
INFRINGEMENT OF A BASIC PERSONAL LIBERTY
"Maria" had been told that she must not leave her employer's apartment without their permission, under any circumstances. She accepted this but, one Saturday, needed to attend to a very personal matter: she knew that her period was due and she had no sanitary towels.
Rather than face the embarrassment of asking her employer for a few minutes off to go to a chemist she waited until they went out themselves. She dashed down to Watson's, made her purchase, and hurried back only to find her employers back in the flat. She was fired on the spot.
EMPLOYER'S VACATION
"Elly" arrived on this writer's doorstep at six o'clock one Saturday evening, she was very upset. She had been told, as the family left for the airport, that she would not be allowed to stay in the apartment during their holiday.
"Am I being terminated, Mom?" she asked. "Of course not," was the reply "we are just going on holiday."
The writer could hardly believe it. "Didn't they make any arrangements for you to stay somewhere?" - "No, Sir."
"Any money in advance for a hostel?" "No, Sir."
-
"What did they expect you to do?" - "I don't know, Sir."
The writer and his helper were more than happy to let Elly stay with them. She did so for a week but was apparently too shy to stay any longer. One morning she was gone.
-
She called to thank us and again, about six weeks later, to say that everything was fine her employers had returned to Hong Kong. I enquired about her salary had she been payed? She laughed: "Not all, Sir." (No use asking if they had given her any accommodation allowance.) "But they are quite nice to me, they just don't understand."
- 6
Appendix B
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.