In Hong Kong, employers are increasingly encountering issues related to debts and misconduct involving foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and their agencies. These problems have prompted calls for regulatory measures to address the situation and protect the rights of both employers and FDHs.
One common issue faced by employers is receiving debt collection letters from financial companies after their FDHs have left their employ. This has caused significant distress to employers who find themselves responsible for debts incurred by their former FDHs. There have also been cases of FDHs suspected of stealing household items or pretending to be unconscious for ulterior motives.
To address these concerns, lawyers are urging authorities to consider legislation that would regulate FDHs' borrowing activities. Additionally, lawmakers are proposing the establishment of a "Foreign Domestic Helpers Regulatory Authority" to handle and approve FDH applications and introduce licensing requirements for agencies.
The current policies governing FDHs are outdated, with the primary measures dating back to 1973. The code of conduct for FDH agencies was only revised in 2017, with minimal amendments. These outdated policies have created numerous problems and left aggrieved employers with limited recourse.
One employer, Ms. K, shared her experience of her FDH failing to provide water to her daughter during her absence, resulting in constipation. Ms. K hired an additional worker to care for her daughter, but that worker unexpectedly resigned after ten months of employment. Ms. K later discovered debt collection letters from financial companies in the worker's room, demanding repayments higher than the FDH's monthly salary. It was revealed that the previous FDH had outstanding debts with several financial companies, and Ms. K began receiving debt collection letters after the FDH's departure, causing her significant distress.
Financial companies pursuing employers for debts incurred by FDHs is deemed unreasonable. In such situations, employers are advised to complete the "Notice of Termination of Contract for a Domestic Helper" form and submit it to the Immigration Department to terminate the contract officially. Once employers have written confirmation, they can request that financial companies cease sending further correspondence to their addresses.
However, Hong Kong currently lacks legislation governing FDHs' borrowing activities, which has sparked a debate about the need for such regulations. Lawyers are urging authorities to consider carefully regulating borrowing activities and behavior of FDHs.
Another employer, Ms. S, hired two FDHs. One of them borrowed money from a financial company and refused to repay it, resulting in debt collection letters being sent to Ms. S. The other FDH was suspected of theft. Ms. S noticed that a piece of clothing disappeared after the FDH claimed to have hand-washed it. Additionally, the FDH was caught taking salmon from the refrigerator but not serving it at the table. When questioned, the FDH denied taking or consuming the fish. Another victim, Ms. L, provided a video showing her FDH intentionally feigning unconsciousness, raising suspicions of a staged act. To avoid further trouble, Ms. L decided to terminate the contract with the FDH earlier than planned.
The quality of FDHs varies, and agencies themselves have mixed reputations. An investigation conducted by the Consumer Council revealed that 30% of agencies failed to provide the FDHs chosen by employers after receiving payment, refusing to provide refunds. Furthermore, nearly 90% of agencies relied on overseas agents to verify the qualifications and experience of FDHs. Some complaints indicated that agencies refused to guarantee the accuracy of FDHs' resumes and declined to replace them when they did not meet expectations. Many dual-income families in Hong Kong rely on FDHs to share household chores, but employers often find themselves in situations where they pay agency fees without the ability to replace FDHs or obtain refunds when problems arise.
In light of these issues, Legislative Councillor Elizabeth Quat has suggested the establishment of a "Foreign Domestic Helpers Regulatory Authority" to handle FDH applications and review the standard employment contract. She also recommends considering the introduction of a probationary period. With the number of FDHs in Hong Kong currently at around 340,000 and projected to reach 600,000 by 2047, addressing the shortcomings of current FDH policies has become a pressing matter. The authorities need to undertake comprehensive improvements to the FDH policies to adapt to the changing dynamics of the market and employer-employee relationships.
雇主关注外籍家庭佣工的债务及不当行为
在香港，僱主與外籍家庭傭工（FDHs）及其中介公司之間的糾紛並不罕見。僱主報告稱，當他們的家庭傭工離開後，他們收到多封來自金融公司的債務追討信函，給他們帶來了重大困擾。此外，也發生了一些家庭傭工涉嫌竊取家庭物品甚至假裝昏迷以達到其他目的的事件。律師們敦促當局考慮立法規範家庭傭工的借貸活動，而立法者則建議成立一個「外籍家庭傭工監管機構」來處理和批准傭工申請，並對中介公司引入許可要求。
當前的家庭傭工政策主要基於1973年的措施，家庭傭工中介機構的行為準則僅在2017年進行了修訂，只進行了最小的修正，例如在標準僱傭合同中新增與擦窗有關的條款。這些過時的政策導致了眾多問題，使許多受委屈的僱主無法得到有效救濟。
一位名為K女士的僱主透露，在她不在香港的幾天中，她的家庭傭工未給她的女兒提供飲用水，導致女兒便秘。K女士強烈相信她的女兒受到了家庭傭工的虐待。為了照顧女兒，K女士聘請了一名額外的工人，但令她驚訝的是，這位工人在服務了十個月後要求立即辭職。稍後，K女士在工人的房間發現了兩家金融公司的多封信函，要求每月還款金額甚至高於家庭傭工的月薪。後來揭示，之前的家庭傭工在至少三家金融公司有未償還的債務，而K女士在家庭傭工離開後不久開始收到債務追討信函，給她帶來了重大困擾。
金融公司追討僱主因家庭傭工所造成的債務是不合理的。如果家庭傭工未能償還所借款項目，金融公司不應該通過向僱主發送信函來騷擾他們。在這種情況下，僱主應立即填寫「家庭傭工合同終止通知書」（ID407E表格）並將其提交給入境事務處，以正式終止合同。僱主獲得書面確認後，可以要求金融公司停止向他們地址發送進一步的通信。
然而，香港目前從未有關家庭傭工借貸活動的法律規章，這引發了對是否需要相關法規的辯論。律師們敦促當局謹慎考慮規範家庭傭工的借貸活動和行為。
另一位名為S女士的僱主聘請了兩名家庭傭工。其中一位從金融公司借款後拒絕償還，導致S女士收到了債務追討信函。另一名家庭傭工則涉嫌竊取物品。S女士注意到一件衣服在這名家庭傭工聲稱已經手洗後消失了。此外，S女士發現這名傭工從冰箱中拿走了三文魚，但並未將其供應到餐桌上。在被質問時，這名傭工否認拿取或食用了魚。另一位受害者L女士提供了一段視頻，顯示她的家庭傭工故意裝作昏迷，引起了人們對這是一場假戲的懷疑。為了避免進一步麻煩，L女士決定提前終止與這名家庭傭工的合同。
家庭傭工的品質存在差異，而中介公司本身的聲譽也有好壞之分。香港消費者委員會的一項調查顯示，30％的中介公司在收到費用後未能提供僱主選擇的家庭傭工，並拒絕退款。此外，近九成的中介公司依賴海外代理來核實家庭傭工的資格和經驗。一些投訴表明，中介公司拒絕保證家庭傭工簡歷的準確性，在家庭傭工不符合期望時也拒絕更換。香港許多雙薪家庭依賴家庭傭工來分擔家務事務，但當問題出現時，僱主常常發現自己支付了中介費用卻無法更換家庭傭工或獲得退款。
鑒於這些問題，立法會議員郭偉強建議成立一個「外籍家庭傭工監管機構」，負責處理家庭傭工申請並審查標準僱傭合同。他還建議考慮引入試用期制度。目前，香港有約34萬名家庭傭工，預計到2047年將達到60萬人，因此解決現行家庭傭工政策的缺陷已經成為一個迫切的問題。當局需要全面改善家庭傭工政策，以適應市場和僱主-僱員關係的變化。
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