No pain, no gain? Bosses exploit older workers in Hong Kong, reveals survey

It is Labour Day today and the conditions of workers in China are not ideal. A survey has revealed that eight out of 10 older workers in Hong Kong are not allowed to get sick leaves and are devoid of severance pay as guaranteed by the law. The survey was carried out by the Society for Community Organisation (SoCo)– a human rights group in China. They recorded the responses of more than 40 people aged between 55 years or above. It concluded that 88 per cent do not get paid sick leave, 83 per cent are unable to avail of long service payments and 80 per cent of the respondents do not get annual leave and severance pay. A community organiser at SoCo, Lei Jih-sheng, said that as per the Employment Ordinance, a worker who has held a job in an organisation for more than four weeks by the same employee while completing an 18-hour work limit each week is employed under a continuous contract. All employees, regardless of their age, are entitled to benefits such as rest days, annual leave with pay and sickness allowance. Lei noted that several employees have been simply flouting these rules leaving older workers high and dry. He said, “When employers use tricks to recruit them, they dare not voice out fearing they may lose the job.” Workers scared of retaliation The survey found that many such exploited elderly workers choose not to lodge a formal complaint against their employees for fear of retaliation or losing their jobs. The situation has resulted in an increase in the prevalence of casual jobs where the elderly work for unreasonably long hours without basic protection like annual leave, Mandatory Provident Fund, and insurance. Forty per cent reported working for 40 hours or more per week. The case of an elderly employee named Ah Wai has been mentioned in the report. Wai, who is ailing from cancer, has been employed part-time for 20 years in the catering industry with no annual leave, MPF, or other benefits, according to South China Morning Post. Domestic workers exploited Hong Kong has been home to 340,000 migrant domestic workers and most are abused and exploited even though they contribute to the economic and social ecosystem of China. A 2016 research by a non-profit group called Justice Centre revealed that 18 percent of domestic workers suffered physical abuse, 66 percent were victims of exploitation, and 1 in 6 was in a situation of forced labour. Each worker worked for 71.4 hours per week, on average. Meanwhile, during the 2020 lockdown, cases of sexual and harassment reportedly tripled in numbers. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook_,_  Twitter and  Instagram_._