It's lawfully hers!

Stripped of her rights, Siti needs help getting recourse to justice

Tomorrow is International Labour Day. The word 'international' reminds me that there are millions of people globally whose attempts to earn a living are slowly chipping away at their dignity. Abusive and unscrupulous employers deprive them of their rights as workers, and sometimes even as human beings. Basic respect for human dignity is absent. I can't do much about the global problem, but Christian Action is chipping away at the existence of these problems in Hong Kong.

*Siti recently found herself helpless at the hands of her employer. No longer able to tolerate his constant ill-treatment, she plucked up the courage to submit a month's notice in writing. Her employer took the notice letter from her and countered it with a document stating that Siti was leaving his employ without giving notice. Too shocked by the situation and too frightened to resist, Siti complied. Her employer then ordered her to leave the premises, giving her only enough time to gather her belongings. According to Hong Kong’s labour laws, whenever either party terminates an employment contract, they must either work out their notice period, or be given a month’s wages in lieu of notice. Siti's employer used his superior position, blatant lies and intimidation to deprive Siti of what is lawfully hers.

Christian Action has been helping abused domestic migrant workers like Siti for twenty years. Most people who employ domestic helpers in Hong Kong respect the laws. Although they are in the minority, there’s a subculture of employers in Hong Kong, (often colluding with employment agents) who have developed ways of avoiding their legal obligations. They use fear, intimidation and sometimes brute force. That scenario is now so common amongst the workers who approach Christian Action that our client advisors are no longer surprised by these tactics.

Protecting poor, uneducated workers, who are too frightened and helpless to defend themselves is Christian Action's duty. Thank you for supporting the work of our Domestic Migrant Workers Paralegal Service Centre, which provides free paralegal advice and assistance to abused domestic helpers. You are helping to give them access to justice!

*Siti's Name has been changed to protect her identity.