Rights groups demand apology from lawmaker who called domestic workers’ gatherings a ‘nuisance’

Activists for migrant workers rights speaking today at a press conference in Jordan. Picture: Supplied
Activists for migrant workers rights speaking today at a press conference in Jordan. Picture: Supplied

Migrant worker rights groups are demanding a public apology from pro-Beijing lawmaker Eunice Yun, over what they labelled her “racist” and “discriminatory” remarks about domestic workers gathering in public spaces on their rest days.

At a Legco meeting on Wednesday, Yung called foreign domestic workers use of the city’s public space on their days off a “nuisance” to the public and “unhygienic”.

She asked the government to open activities centers and “find a place” for workers to go, staying their gatherings around parks, footbridges and underpasses “affected people’s daily lives and businesses.”

At a press conference today, several groups representing migrant workers in Hong Kong slammed Yung, a lawmaker for the New People’s Party (NPP), and called for her to retract her comments.

They also announced a rally would be held this Sunday, with protesters set to march from Central to the NPP’s headquarters in Wan Chai.

“We are demanding a public apology from her and also for her to retract her malicious and baseless accusations, especially the racial slur that was made during the Legco meeting,” Eman Villanueva, a spokesman for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, told Coconuts HK.

“But we are also raising some very serious concerns, particularly with the Hong Kong government.”

Villanueva said the fact that Hong Kong’s more than 370,000 migrant workers gathered in large numbers in public places on their days off was a symptom of government policy.

He pointed to the “live-in” rule — which requires domestic helpers to reside with their employers — as a major factor.

“One reason that migrant workers are congregating in huge numbers in public parks during their rest days is because we don’t have a place of our own,” he said.

“We have nowhere to go, and the place of our employers, where we live, is not actually a place where we can rest.”

He also said the government needed to more clearly define the requirements of employers to provide “suitable” accommodation and regulate working hours.

“What is suitable it is always up to the employers… our research shows their definition is not actually very favorable to the migrant workers,” he said.

“Another issue is the working hours. Ms Yung was referring to migrant workers sleeping in the parks, lying down and sleeping. The truth behind that scenario is that six days a week, migrant workers work between 12 to 16 hours and we do not have enough time to rest.

“It’s really time for them to re-think and also to implement some of the reforms that the migrant domestic workers’ groups and advocates are actually demanding.”



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