Hong Kong's domestic helpers 'never part of discussion' on working hours agreement

Foreign domestic helpers fear they may be left out in Hong Kong's first law on working hours as a government adviser tasked with studying its enactment admit they have never talked about including maids throughout more than 2-1/2 years of discussion.

And now, the standard working hours committee, set up in April 2013 to deliberate if and how working hours should be regulated, is near the end of its term in the first quarter of next year - with the deadline looming to submit its report to the government.

Most union representatives advocate 40 to 44 regular working hours per week for Hongkongers and overtime wages at 1.5 times the hourly rate.

Chau Siu-chung, a unionist and employee representative on the committee, told the South China Morning Post the members had never discussed if the law should cover foreign domestic helpers.

"It could be difficult to calculate their working hours because of the job nature," he said. "I do think they should be included."

In Canada, not only are helpers paid local rates, their hours are also regulated.

The legislative issue split two major helpers' groups in the city, with United Filipinos in Hong Kong saying that applying the law to locals only would signal "clear discrimination". Dolores Balladares Pelaez, the group's chairwoman, said: "Domestic workers work 12 to 15 hours a day."