A Hong Kong court yesterday awarded damages to a Filipina domestic worker who was sacked after a cancer diagnosis, in a case that highlighted exploitation of foreign women toiling as maids in the territory.
Baby Jane Allas was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in January and fired the following month by her employer, who cited the illness as the reason for termination.
The 38-year-old single mother of five instantly lost the right to healthcare and has had to regularly apply for visa extensions as she navigated Hong Kong’s legal and immigration systems while battling cancer.
Photo: AFP
She has been undergoing radiation therapy five days a week, along with chemotherapy one day a week.
Allas and her former employer — who was absent from yesterday’s proceedings — reached a settlement of HK$30,000 (US$3,800) at Hong Kong’s Labour Tribunal for sickness allowance, medical fees and wages in lieu of notice.
“I am standing here right now to encourage more workers to come out if they have these kinds of cases,” Allas said outside the hearing.
Allas added she hoped to find another employer “who can really understand my situation and treat me well.”
She has separately filed claims with the Equal Opportunities Commission for wrongful termination and loss of earnings, which could be brought to the Hong Kong District Court.
Allas previously told reporters that she spent just more than a year working for a family of Pakistani origin who ordered her to work every day of the week.
She also said that she was routinely given stale leftovers to eat and slept on a thin comforter in a cluttered store room.
Allas was accompanied to the hearing by supporters and family, including her eight-year-old daughter, who clung to her waist.
Her plight has generated widespread sympathy in Hong Kong and a fundraising campaign organized by her sister’s employer, Jessica Cutrera, has so far raised more than HK$900,000 for treatment.
A large part of Allas’ medical bills have been covered by hospital charities, but expensive surgery will likely be needed to operate on her tumors, Cutrera said.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was