Pregnancy is costing us our jobs, say women
A union has warned that Hong Kong's declining birth rate could fall further following a surge in complaints from women who said they were having to choose between a second child and their jobs.
The warning came on Mother's Day yesterday after two women spoke of their unhappy experiences at work after they told their employers they were pregnant.
'My doctor gave me eight weeks of sick leave because I kept having abnormal bleeding, but instead of spending the time in bed I ran around collecting documents every day to prove my case,' said an expectant mother who gave her name as Mrs Lee.
The 27-year-old clerk said her employer asked her to resign after she notified them in early March that she was pregnant and could possibly miscarry. 'My boss said they couldn't fire me so I should give up my job.'
Mrs Lee refused, but the price was a series of confrontations with the company.
'I sent them my medical certificates by registered post and they said they didn't receive it. When I got them a new copy, they questioned how I could obtain the documents so easily and said they were fake.'
The first-time mother, who found herself replaced by a new recruit after returning to work earlier this month, was transferred to work alone in a warehouse without air conditioning.
'I wasn't given any work anymore, and my colleagues were cutting me off,' she said.
Another clerk, called May, was sacked the second day after she told the boss she was pregnant.
'My contract was only for four months and I was not paid when I took half a day off for a maternity check,' she said. 'I am surprised that even under these employment conditions, they couldn't tolerate my seeing out the terms of the contract.'
Pregnancy discrimination cases handled by the Equal Opportunities Commission jumped by almost 50 per cent to 117 last year over 2005.
The Clothing Industry, Clerical and Retail Trade Employers General Union said the situation was deteriorating, with it receiving 24 such complaints over the past 12 months, 35 per cent more than for the previous 12-month period.
'The chief executive urged people to have more babies, but the government lacks legislation to protect the interest of working pregnant women,' said the union's general secretary, Cheung Lai-ha.
She said non-renewal of the contracts of pregnant women should be considered dismissal and they should be given two months' income as compensation.
