Muling iginiit ng Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) sa gobyerno ng Hong Kong ang HK$6,106 (₱43,998.00) living wage para sa lahat ng migrant domestic workers (MDW) na nagtatrabaho doon.

Sa pahayag na ipinadala ni Dolores Balladares, tagapagsalita ng ACMB, bukod sa mahigit na HK$6,000 na living wage, dapat ding bigyan ng HK$3,065 food allowance ang lahat ng nagtatrabaho bilang domestic workers sa lugar.

Bukod sa isyu ng sahod, iginiit din ng grupo ang pagiging optional ng paninirahan ng isang kasambahay sa kanilang mga amo.

“The past years of the pandemic have highlighted how MDWs are one of the most vulnerable sectors of Hong Kong society. As Hong Kong continues in their post-pandemic recovery and returns to normal, the struggles of slave-like conditions that the pandemic worsened for MDWs must be addressed,” ayon kay Balladres.

“Living inside our employers homes, we are on-call 24 hours a day. Many MDWs work long hours from 12 – 16 hours a day and sadly working hours are even longer during the pandemic. The lack of regulation on working hours also deprives MDWs of rest and sleep needed to perform our duties,” iginiit niya.

“This lack of rest can lead to serious health problems as well as pose danger to our body as we work. The HK government must ensure we are able to rest through the addition of rest hours and meal breaks in our contracts,” dagdag ni Belladares.

Binatikos din ng ACMB ang akusasyon ng HK government sa mga kasambahay ng “job-hopping” sa tuwing umaalis sa kanilang mga amo dahil sa pangmamaltrato.

“While the government is quick to accuse us of ‘job-hopping’, they must also show the same urgency in prosecuting employers who violate our contracts by not paying their MDWs on time or even underpaying them. This creates unfair burdens for MDWs who depend on their salaries to survive here in Hong Kong,” ayon pa kay Balladres.