MAKABAYAN senatorial bet Teddy Casiño hit the recent ruling of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal denying permanent residency for foreign household service workers (HSWs).
“Very discriminatory and a clear violation of basic rights of HSWs ang ruling ng Hong Kong Court. It effectively took away the migrant workers’ initial victory. This adds up to the long line of complaints of discrimination against our domestic workers which include their exclusion from the statutory minimum wage, the mandatory line-in employment arrangement, and other rules that indicate unequal treatment,” said Casiño.
The decision affects more than 300,000 HSWs in Hongkong, according to Migrante International.
“This is disheartening. If only there are enough jobs and adequate compensation in our country, hindi pipiliin ng mga kababayan natin ang mapunta sa ganitong sitwasyon. The Philippine government should seriously address the reasons why so many Filipinos leave to work abroad,” said Casiño.
Casiño’s top legislative agenda for the Senate include the creation of local opportunities for migrant workers by developing national industries and creating jobs with adequate wages.
According to reports, Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeals voted 5-0 to deny the petition of Filipino workers Evangeline Vallejos and Daniel Domingo for permanent residency.
Vallejos, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1986, was granted in September 2011 a lower court ruling allowing her the right to seek permanent residency in Hong Kong. The decision was overturned when the Hong Kong government filed and won an appeal on March 2012 on grounds that foreign HSWs should be “highly regulated” to ensure that they only “fulfill the special, limited purpose for which they have been allowed to come.”
Hong Kong Immigration Ordinance, which came into operation on July 1997, allows non-Chinese foreigners to become permanent resident of, and enjoy the right of abode, provided they “entered Hong Kong with a valid travel document, had ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 7 years and has taken Hong Kong as his or her place of permanent residence before or after the establishment of the HKSAR”.
Casiño also called on all OFWs in Hong Kong to persevere in their fight for rights and justice despite this step backward for migrant workers’ rights.