‘Unfair’, ‘problematic’ Labour Department hearing in Hong Kong for Filipino domestic worker fired after employer found out she has cervical cancer

Baby Jane Allas was not allowed to be represented by a lawyer at her hearing, and was not given a professional interpreter despite not being fluent in English

Allas, who has advanced cervical cancer, has begun treatment after crowdfunding more than HK$800,000 in less than a month

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Domestic workers Mary Ann Allas (left) and her sister Baby Jane Allas in Central. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 10:06pm, 14 Mar 2019Updated: 11:48pm, 14 Mar 2019

The Filipino domestic worker who was fired last month after being diagnosed with cervical cancer has finally started treatment, but her attempts at legal recourse from the Hong Kong government are still facing hurdles.

Baby Jane Allas, 38, started chemotherapy on Thursday – after she managed to crowdfund more than HK$800,000 for her treatment.

But, on Wednesday, her first hearing at the Labour Department on her complaints against her employer did not go smoothly.

Jessica Cutrera, a long-time Hong Kong resident who employs Allas’ sister and is helping the cancer-stricken domestic worker, described the session that ran for almost three hours as“unfair” and “problematic”.

We Are Like Air: life as a Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong

“Baby Jane was told by the Labour Department that she had to show up in person herself. Her employer didn’t show up because they said they were ill,” Cutrera told the South China Morning Post. “Baby Jane has advanced cancer. She is very sick. Yet she had to appear in person but her employer did not. It seems very unfair.”