POLO: Filipino domestic workers should not clean rooftops

A domestic worker cleans a sloping rooftop in Tai Po (contributed photo)

FILIPINO domestic workers should not be made to clean the rooftops of their employer’s apartment, according to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).

A POLO official, who asked not to be identified, said they had blacklisted several Hong Kong employers for forcing their Filipino domestic workers to clean their rooftops.

“That’s illegal. Any chore that will endanger the worker will not be allowed,” the official said.

She said some employers try to include “rooftop cleaning” as an “additional duty” in the contract of their domestic workers but the POLO overrules them.

“We have that removed. We have also put on the watch list several employers because of that,” the official said.

A Filipina sent to Hong Kong News a photo of a domestic worker cleaning a sloping rooftop of an apartment. The sender said the picture was taken in Tai Po on June 27.

On July 6, pictures of a foreign domestic helper (FDH) precariously cleaning a window in Quearry Bay from the outside and more than 20 floors above ground went viral online.

The pictures were taken in Kornhill Gardens, with the FDH cleaning “either on the 23rd or the 24th floor,” said a Filipina domestic worker who took the viral pictures.

“My conscience can’t take it anymore. I see her every morning cleaning (the window), even if the weather is bad,” said the Filipina, who asked not to be identified.

“Even if it had just rained, she still cleans that window. I wanted long ago to take a video or picture of her but I was afraid. This morning, my conscience could not take it anymore,” she added.

She also said that she did not know if the FDH was a Filipina or an Indonesian. The pictures had gone viral on Facebook, with many FDHs pointing out that it is illegal in Hong Kong for a worker to clean windows from the outside.

The Hong Kong government, starting January 2017, prohibited FDHs from cleaning flat windows from the outside, and this is clearly stated under the standard contract for FDHs.

It said if the worker were to clean the outside portion of flat windows, the window should have a grille that is locked or secured and “no part of the helper’s body extends beyond the window ledge except the arms.”