Hong Kong’s domestic workers march through city to call for 27.6 per cent wage rise, as concerns mount over recent deaths

Campaigners urge minimum pay increase from HK$4,310 to HK$5,500 per month

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The march on Sunday went from Exchange Square in Central to the Labour Department. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 5:50pm, 3 Sep 2017Updated: 11:12pm, 3 Sep 2017

Hundreds of foreign domestic workers marched through Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon to demand a 27.6 per cent pay rise and an end to what they called slave-like conditions.

About 600 turned out despite the less than favourable weather for the 1km procession from Exchange Square in Central at 2pm to rally outside the Labour Department building.

About 600 people participated in the march on Sunday. Photo: Felix Wong

Campaigners called for an increase in the minimum wage from HK$4,310 to HK$5,500 a month for the 350,000 helpers, plus a rise in the food allowance from HK$1,037 to HK$2,500 per month, according to the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body. They also pressed for the government to scrap the “live-in” rule, which requires foreign domestic workers to live with their employers, as they insisted it left them open to exploitation.

The march came as campaigners grow increasingly concerned about the safety of helpers, who are often subject to unregulated working conditions, while sleeping in substandard accommodation, including toilets.

Concerns have grown in Hong Kong about the safety of the city’s foreign domestic helpers. Photo: Felix Wong

Edi Lestari, spokeswoman for the body, said she was increasingly concerned about recent deaths, including the case of a 28-year-old Filipino, Lorain Asuncion, who fell from a seventh-floor flat in Shenzhen in July after being sent to work there by her Hong Kong employers.

“The situation is getting worse,” she said. “No one wants to do anything about it. A number of workers have already died this year, and it is worrying.”