Philippines envoy urges Hong Kong government to open city up to more skilled workers
Consul general Antonio A Morales discusses domestic workers, illegal fees, abuse shelters, and the threat of Hong Kong losing out to the mainland in first in-depth interview
The Philippine consul general in Hong Kong wants the local government to follow in the footsteps of neighbouring regions and open up the market to qualified professionals from his country.
Six months after arriving in a city that is home to more than 200,000 Filipinos, Antonio A Morales also called for more prosecutions and convictions of employment agents who charge illegal fees, as he promised to open another shelter for domestic workers who are victims of abuse.
“I think we can contribute more if they can open up their labour market. It would be a win-win solution for Hong Kong and the Philippines.”
“That’s an issue we have informally raised with officials, but we hope to raise in the next meetings and during visits of high officials,” he said.
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The diplomat welcomed the amendment of the Employment Ordinance introduced in February, in which fines for overcharging workers and operating an employment agency without a licence increased from HK$50,000 to HK$350,000 (US$44,600) and three years’ imprisonment.
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Domestic workers and employers also now have more time to bring legal claims against agencies, with the statutory time limit for prosecution of abuses extended from six months to 12 months.
“The amendment is only recent. If we see more prosecutions and convictions, we are confident that the number [of cases] will go down,” Morales said.
According to officials statistics obtained by the Post, the number of inspections has increased over time. Last year, 1,846 inspections took place, whereas from January to May this year authorities conducted 1,213.
The Labour Department successfully prosecuted 11 employment agencies in 2017, and six licences were revoked. In the first five months of this year, only three were prosecuted, while four lost their licences. The highest fine imposed on an agency last year was $HK16,000.
Separately, from January to April, the consulate received about 400 complaints – half of them related to excessive fees. The other main reasons of concern among workers were harassment and pressure by employers, as well as verbal abuse.
“Another priority of mine is to establish more shelters – we hope to establish one within this year,” Morales said.
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The consulate runs one shelter with the capacity to hold 12 people, and is looking for a new location with similar capacity near the consulate.
Analysing the job market in Hong Kong, Morales said there should be a distinction between a domestic worker and a carer.
China is opening up and this is all governed by economics
“That’s another kind of work that requires a different set of skills. They should be treated separately,” he said. “I expect a gradual and steady increase of both domestic workers and carers in Hong Kong.”
However, the envoy also noted: “China is opening up and this is all governed by economics and not policies. People go to where there are better opportunities and better pay.”
Morales said that to continue attracting workers from the Philippines, Hong Kong needed to consider “an adjustment in terms of pay”, “maintain its rule of law” and address workers’ concerns about living quarters.
Their minimum salary is HK$4,410 a month, and the 2.3 per cent increase they received last year fell short from the workers’ expectations of a 25 per cent raise to HK$5,500.
