HK seeks input from PH on code for employment agencies
THE Hong Kong government has sought the input of Philippine labor officials on the proposed “Code of Practice” for employment agencies in the city.
Consul General Bernardita Catalla said she and Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre attended on April 15 a meeting arranged by Hong Kong Labour and Welfare Secretary Matthew Cheung
about the Draft Code of Practice for Employment Agencies.
“The deadline for inputs is on June 17. They gave us copies so we can also give inputs…We should really welcome it because we’re being given a chance to have a say in their own guidelines,” Catalla
said in an interview.
She said the consuls general of other countries that send workers to Hong Kong also attended the meeting and were asked to submit their own inputs.
There are over 300,000 foreign domestic helpers in the city and more than half of them are Filipinos.
The Labour Department (LD) earlier said that it was conducting a wide-ranging consultation on the proposed code.
Hong Kong is coming up with the code amid complaints from foreign domestic workers that erring employment agencies were committing abuses, particularly the collection of excessive placement fees.
For the Philippines, Catalla said the comments or inputs would come from the offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippines Overseas Employment Agency
(POEA), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Manila.
“Whatever the DoLE, POEA, and OWWA want to input, [Dela Torre] will consolidate those and we will send it as being the representative of the Philippine government here,” Catalla said.
“So, kung hindi katugma noong sa atin, we can actually try to input iyong sa atin kung tatanggapin nila,” she added.
The LD said the proposed code aims to promote professionalism and quality services among employment agencies.
A recent report by the NGO Justice Centre said migrant domestic workers in the territory often fall prey to unscrupulous employment agencies that may overcharge them for various “costs” associated with recruitment.
These costs often exceed the legal limits set by the Hong Kong government or by the countries that supply domestic workers to the territory.
The Justice Centre also said that although the Employment Agencies Administration of the LD received 170 complaints against employment agencies, most of which related to overcharging
the migrant domestic workers, only four were convicted in 2014.
In 2015, the LD prosecuted 12 agencies, and nine of them were convicted of overcharging job-seekers.
Hong Kong law allows employment agencies to collect a commission from job-seekers but this should not exceed 10 percent of their first month’s salary.
The convicted agencies last year included Bagus Employment Agency (located in Central), Satisfactory Employment & Travel Centre Limited (located in Tai Wai), Vicks Maid Consultant
Company (located in Sha Tin), Joyce Agency (located in Kwai Chung), Maidhouse Employment Agency Co Limited (located in Tsuen Wan), Smile Sunshine Employment Limited (located in North
Point), Shun Tat Employment Agency Company (located in Causeway Bay), Artellect Limited (located in Tuen Mun) and 3sion Employment Agency (located in Tin Hau).