MANY Filipino maids have commented that they prefer to have a Western rather than a Chinese employer, because Westerners make them work shorter hours and they are treated as part of the family. This is a disgraceful state of affairs and I find it very disappointing. Filipino maids work all over Hongkong and it is common knowledge that they prefer to work in Hongkong than anywhere else in the world. As the Chinese form the majority of the population and are the majority race here, they should show their respect and concern for the maids. They should not be regarded merely as a tool to be used. There have been stories of some maids having to eat leftover food, or having to sleep on a floor without a mattress and with only a thin blanket. Those Chinese employers who are guilty of mistreatment should wake up now to reality, otherwise, one day, they may find they cannot get a maid. INDERJIT PAL KAUR Kowloon
