ITO ang pagtiyak ng Hong Kong labor department, kasunod ng apela ng konsuldo ng Pilipinas hinggil s akalagayan ng mga Overseas Filipino Workers na nagtatrabaho s anasabing bansa sa gitna ng naganap na COVID-19 surge.
Ayon sa Hongkong Labor Department , poprotektahan nito ang mga karapatan ng Overseas Filipino Workers sa bansa nila sa kasagsagan ng pagsipa ng COVID-19 cases.
Nabatid na nagpaalala ang gobyerno ng Hong Kong Special Administrative Region sa legal obligations ng employers na alagaan ang kanilang empleyado kahit sila ay tinamaan ng virus.
Nagbabala rin ang HKSAR na hindi nila palalampasin ang employers na iligal na pinapaalis ang kanilang mga empleyadong positibo sa COVID-19 na siyang paglabag sa kanilang Employee Ordinance.
Ang employer na mapapatunayang lumabag dito ay maaaring magmulta ng hanggang 100,000 Kongkong Dollar.
The HKSAR Government does not and will not tolerate any employers of FDHs illegally dismissing FDHs who have suffered from the COVID-19 and in violation of the Employment Ordinance (EO). Under the EO, an employer is prohibited from terminating the contract of employment of an employee on his/her paid sickness day, except in cases of summary dismissal due to the latter’s serious misconduct. An employer who contravenes relevant provisions of the EO commits an offence and is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a maximum fine of $100,000, pahayag ng kanilang labor department.
Tinatayang nasa 330,000 foreign domestic helpers sa Hong Kong kung saan karamihan dito ay nagmula sa Pilipinas at Indonesia.
Nabatid na sumulat si Rally L. Tejada Consul General ng Consulate General of the Republic of the Philippine , hinggil s anakaka alarming kalagayan ng mga OFW’s sa Hongkong kasunod ng muling pagsipa ng bilang ng mga COVID-19 infected sa kanilang lugar kung saan maraming Pinoy domestic workers ang apektado ng 5th wave of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Ayon sa taga pagsalita para sa Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) , “ For those FDHs under employment who test positive to the COVID-19 or are regarded as close contacts, they will receive support like any other citizens of Hong Kong. The HKSAR Government, with the staunch support of the Central People’s Government, is expanding the capacity of community isolation facilities for those to whom priority should be accorded for isolation outside of the home environment. For those FDHs currently without employment in Hong Kong, the Labour Department has been assisting in their admission to suitable facilities. (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
