Page 41 - Varsity Special Issue

56 / Our Community / 57

Overworked

and

Underprotected

Vulnerable migrant workers being discriminated and
exploited during COVID-19

By Bonita Wong

ore recognition and pro- they check every single detail of my “ out on Sundays when Hong Kong was “Migrant workers are frontliners
tection should be given work,” Lia says. hit by the third wave of COVID-19 (who fight against the pandemic) as
Mto nearly 400,000 migrant The situation improved when the Why can’t I meet my friends? Do you in July. She had to meet her friends well. We are the ones who look after
domestic workers in Hong Kong, es- second helper reported duty in June. online for five weeks. Fortunately, the cleanliness (hygiene) of the house,
pecially to those suffering from heavy “Even we have a second worker, I mean that we Filipinos or migrant Lia has her own room and toilet, and going in and out of the house to get
workload and unfair treatment during am responsible for everything. If the workers carry the virus? her employers did not assign her any food and protective materials for
the pandemic. second worker did not do her job work on rest days. families,” says Shiela Tebia-Bonifacio,
Filipino domestic helper Lia* properly, the blame is on me. Also, “But the discrimination is still chairperson of Gabriela Hong Kong,
needs to juggle taking care of a seven- both of my employers are foreigners, I ” there. When the number of cases goes an alliance supporting Filipinos in the
month-old baby and more daily work am not used to their expressions and I down, they say ‘okay you can go out city.
as her employers are currently work- am very sensitive about that, so emo- but please don’t meet your friends,” “Many of us cannot go out and
ing from home. tionally I am so depressed at first,” she Lia says. “Why should I not meet my some are not compensated well for
“The workload doubles. Before says. friends and you can let your friends overtime work. If you don’t have your
COVID-19, I just need to cook dinner. According to an online survey con- visit us in the house? We workers own room, what can you do inside the
But then when my employers work ducted in March by Asian Migrants have strict self-discipline. We have house? You work. Do you expect mi-
from home, I need to cook breakfast, Coordinating Body – the first and family in the Philippines waiting for grant workers to sit down with their
lunch and dinner,” Lia says. biggest coalition of migrant worker us. If we are sick, we are alone. Why boss on the sofa on Sunday?” says
Lia has been working in Hong association and union in Hong Kong, can’t I meet my friends? Do you mean Tebia-Bonifacio. “Before COVID-19,
Kong for three years. “The problem more than half foreign domestic help- that we Filipinos or migrant workers migrant workers are already com-
that I am struggling with is pressure. ers had the same experience as Lia carry the virus?” she argues. plaining, some are working 16-20
My employers work in a bank, and that their workloads increased. 40 per Lia says she is fortunate to have hours a day, staying up till 11 p.m. to
their work is really a stressful one, cent of the 1,127 respondents did not masks and alcohol sprays from her 12 a.m. Now it’s worse.” Tebia-Boni-
especially given the economic status have weekly rest days as stated in their employer because she knows many facio adds.
of Hong Kong now. Because they are contracts. Banner by migrant worker unions on Chater Road, Central. workers are treated unfairly and do These frontliners in the city’s battle
n Chater Road,
ns o
tral.
Cen
o
Banner by migran
t w
orker uni
pressured, and they are at home, so Lia’s employers asked her not to go not receive proper protection. against the pandemic not only need to