While the law pretty much has a say on almost anything, it is only limited to what is defined by its scope and power. This has been the hard case to swallow for Filipino workers who get around the law and find themselves in situations where no help can be readily offered because they are no longer under the jurisdiction of the law for which they should covered by.
Case in point: While many people aspire to travel the world, this is not simply a thing that can be decided by packing your bags and going. This is especially important for workers who are made to work overseas other than the country under which their contract has been set. Special considerations and rules have to be applied for this type of employment setup. Being misrepresented or misinformed in such cases deals more damage to the employee than to their employer(s).
Labour Dept Called out by Migrants Group over Inaction in Dead OFW’s Case
In line with this, a migrant workers’ group is set to protest the inaction of the Hong Kong Labour Department regarding the events which led to the case of an OFW being sent by her employer to work in Shenzhen, where she apparently ended her own life more than a year ago, as shared in a report by the Sun HK.
The decision of the Filipino Migrant Workers Union (FMWU) to protest came after reports which revealed that the family of the victim, Lorain Asuncion, was facing a dead end in pursuing justice over their relative’s death because of the Labour Department’s decision to not take action on the matter, citing reason that the incident took place outside Hong Kong.
According to Eman Villanueva, chairperson of FMWU, if the case is left unaddressed, the Hong Kong government would send a very bad message that once a foreign worker is sent outside of the country to work elsewhere, the employer is no longer accountable for whatever may happen to her.
Instead, the Hong Kong government as well as the country where the domestic worker is sent to work must have better protection laws for migrant workers and organize matters such as prevailing salary as well as labour laws for such cases, explained Villanueva.