聯署呼籲：外傭不當奴－香港人善待外傭宣言

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We are a group of Hong Kong employers and residents who wish to clearly affirm that we respect all domestic workers in Hong Kong, including especially foreign domestic workers who have become essential to our society and economy.

我們是一群香港居民及外傭僱主，希望在此清楚表達我們對香港家庭傭工的尊重，特別是那些對我們的社會與經濟發展必不可少、貢獻良多的外籍家庭傭工。

Domestic workers are workers, and we respect the work they do, as we also respect all men and women who contribute to society by doing the fundamental work in keeping a family alive day to day – cooking food, keeping the family clean and properly clothed, and caring for the children and elderly.

我們尊重家庭傭工的工作。無論是女性還是男性的家庭傭工，都同樣為維持眾多香港家庭的日常生活運作而提供最基本的服務：包括煮飯燒菜、家居清潔及照顧老幼。

As we ourselves enjoy labour rights, they also should fully enjoy rights as workers, and be fully protected from abuse, as both workers and as women.

我們享有的基本勞工權益，家庭傭工應當同樣全面享有，並且應當得到同樣的保護，不會因為身為女性及傭工而受到剝削。

We therefore reaffirm that all citizens who are employers of domestic workers should, and we ourselves who are, will, fully comply with all the legal minimum obligations required by Hong Kong law with respect to domestic workers:

WAGES – payment of the minimum monthly wage

REST DAYS – ONE FULL REST DAY per week. This means 24 hours, preferably with the beginning and ending time to be agreed between employer and employee at the start of the contract. If the employer requests the helper to work on his/her rest day, it must be with the voluntary agreement of the worker and alternative rest day must be provided within the next 30 days; or, if the worker agrees, he/she must be paid for the rest day on which he/she worked, in lieu of another rest day.

STATUTORY HOLIDAY – All workers should rest on the statutory holidays, unless you agree upon an alternative holiday 60 days before or after. EVEN DURING PROBATION PERIOD, they are entitled to having a day off on statutory holidays– even if not entitled to payment for those days, during the probation period..

SICK LEAVE – It is a normal part of human life to fall ill. Workers must be permitted to take sick leave and recover.
NOTICE OF TERMINATION AND SEVERANCE – In case of termination of the worker, there should be a valid reason, due notice given, and due compensation paid. The employer must not threaten or coerce the worker into a false resignation letter, for the sake of causing workers to forgo their long service pay.

MEDICAL INSURANCE – Insurance should be provided and paid for by the employer in accordance with the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance.

因此，我們重申，所有聘用家庭傭工的僱主，都應當切實履行香港法例中有關家庭傭工最基本的法律義務，我等身為僱用家庭傭工的市民亦必履行該些義務，當中包括：

薪金：支付最低月薪；

休息日：每星期給予傭工最少一整天的休息日，即24小時。至於哪一段時間為休息日，建議由僱主與傭工在簽定合約時商定。僱主若要求傭工於休息日工作，必須事先得到傭工同意並於隨後30日內補放休息日，或經傭工同意以支付休息日工作的薪金代替；

法定假期：任何勞工都應享有法定假期，除非在原定假日之前或之後60天內，安排另定假日給傭工。外地傭工懷孕期間若與法定假期重疊，應當享有產假外相應的額外補假，這也應當適用於其間無法享有受薪假期的懷孕傭工；

病假：人難免會生病，因此勞工應獲許放取病假以便康復；
終止僱傭合約及遣散費：若要解僱傭工，僱主必須提出合理理由、盡早給予書面通知及合理補償。僱主不可以恐嚇及強迫的方式迫使傭工簽署虛假的辭職信，藉以逃避支付長期服務金；

醫療保險: 僱主應當根據《僱員補償條例》，為傭工投購適當的醫療保險。

ALL LABOUR LAWS SHOULD BE APPLIED IN BOTH LETTER AND SPIRIT.
Under Hong Kong laws, a certain level of protections exist for workers, yet because of a combination of neglectful policies, poor enforcement and isolated workplaces where abuses can stay hidden from the public, domestic workers are vulnerable to all manners of abuses, which include overwork, starvation, verbal and physical abuse, underpayment, sexual harassment and assault, and other labour and human rights violations. These abuses are not duly punished – many are not even illegal - and so they get repeated, and taken for granted as part of life as a domestic worker in Hong Kong. This must end, and we support all efforts to eliminate individual as well as systemic abuses.

在法律條文及立法精神上勞工法例須予以履行。
勞工在現有香港法律下可得到一定程度的保障，但由於政策上的疏忽、執法上的苟且，以及對外隔絕的工作環境而不被公眾所知的諸多剝削，都讓家庭傭工容易受到各種各樣的無理對待及壓迫，其中包括工作時間過長、飢餓、言語及肉體上被虐待、工資不足、性騷擾及性侵犯，以及其他違反人權及勞工權利的做法。這些剝削大都沒有得到適當的懲處，某些行為更非違法，因而種種對家庭傭工的剝削便不斷重覆出現，甚至理所當然地被認為是家庭傭工在香港生活的一部分。這種情況必須終止，對於一切致力於排除此種制度上及個人上的剝削的努力，我們都全力支持。

We condemn and commit to avoid at all costs the following, which are illegal and/or violate basic human rights:
1 Depriving the worker of sufficient food and time to eat.
2 Depriving the worker of having at least eight hours night sleep.
3 Depriving the worker of free entry and exit to her own residence, by not providing a key or in any other way preventing free movement of the worker.
4 Holding the passport of the worker, and otherwise holding or inspecting any personal belongings of the worker without her/his consent.
5 Forcing the worker to work for persons other than specified in the contract, without the worker’s consent.
6 Preventing the worker from associating with others, such as by restricting use of the telephone/mobile phone, or meeting others in person.
7 Verbally, physically or psychologically abusing the worker.

我們嚴厲指責下列違反人權及違法的行為，並致力防止此等行為發生：
1. 剝奪傭工有足夠食物充飢及充足時間進食的權利；
2. 剝奪傭工晚上至少有八小時睡眠的權利；
3. 不提供鑰匙，剝奪傭工自由進出其住處的權利。或以其他方法不淮傭工自由活動；
4. 在未得傭工同意下扣押其護照，以及搜查或沒收其私人物品；
5. 在未得傭工同意下強迫其為合約指定以外的人士提供服務；
6. 不准傭工與他人交往，例如限制其使用電話或與其他人見面；
7. 在言語、身體及心理上虐待傭工。

We realize that Hong Kong laws still do not sufficiently protect foreign domestic workers from abuse and don’t sufficiently reflect their equality to other workers as fellow residents of Hong Kong.

我們認識到香港法律在防止外籍家庭傭工免受無理對待及剝削上仍有不足之處，而且相較其他香港本地勞工，現有法例亦未有給予外籍傭工平等對待。

Beyond the requirements of the Hong Kong law, we also state that we believe and will support:
8. The rights and protections given to workers in Hong Kong should include foreign domestic workers, as they are also workers in Hong Kong who contribute significantly to the society and the economy. Exclusion of them from the rights and protections given to Hong Kong workers based on their occupation, gender or nationality is blatant discrimination and should be opposed.
9. All workers including foreign domestic workers, should be given clear working and rest hours in a day, so that they do not end up working non-stop like slaves.
10. There should be a reasonable statutory minimum food allowance level, and it should be implemented, if the employer will not provide food in the home.
11. Foreign domestic workers should have the option of living out. Restoring the option of both live-in and live-out would be beneficial to both employers and workers..
12. The visa conditions for domestic workers should be unified under the same policy as other foreign workers in Hong Kong; and the worker should be allowed to change jobs and employers with less difficulty than at present.
13. Employment agencies should be disciplined with deterrent punishment when they make statements to employers to break laws and/or exploit their workers. Policies that contribute to workers’ job instability must be eliminated, such as packages that encourage ‘trying out’ several workers within a fixed period, for no additional cost to the employer.
14. The Hong Kong government must proactively enforce the 10% agency fee limit in Hong Kong and demand that the Philippine and Indonesian governments limit the exorbitant agency fees workers must pay in their countries before arriving in Hong Kong to work.

除了需要更多公平對待外籍傭工的香港法例外，我們也在此重申我們所相信及支持的下列數點：
8. 外籍家庭傭工也是對香港社會與經濟貢獻良多的香港勞工，她／他們應當同樣享有本地勞工的權利與保障。若然由於職業、性別及國籍而排除外籍家庭傭工可以享有本地勞工的權利與保障，便是公然的歧視，必須堅決反對；
9. 包括外籍家庭傭工在內的所有勞工，都應當有明確規定的每天工作及休息時間，如此她／他才可避免淪為不停工作的奴隸；
10. 若僱主不提供膳食，則應當訂立一個更合理的法定最底膳食津貼水平；
11. 外籍家庭傭工應當有到別處住宿的自由。回復可同住及可自住的選擇，對僱主及傭工都有好處；
12. 外籍家庭傭工的出入境簽證在政策上應當與其他在港外籍勞工一視同仁。而傭工亦應當可以更自由地轉換工作及僱主；
13. 必須對教唆僱主違反法例及剝削外籍傭工的本港職業介紹所給予具阻嚇性的懲罰。任何導致外籍傭工工作不穩定的政策，例如那些鼓勵僱主在固定時間內試用多位傭工，而僱主卻不需付出任何額外代價的服務套裝，都必須廢除；
14. 香港政府必須主動執行本港僱傭中心只可收取傭工首月薪金10%介紹費的政策。由於海外傭工來港工作前同樣需要向當地介紹所支付費用，香港政府應當同時要求菲律賓與印尼兩國政府禁止當地介紹所收取過高的介紹費。

We call on all responsible and appreciative employers of domestic workers in Hong Kong to sign this document. Together we can show the progressive and humane side of Hong Kong society – a ‘world city’ of Asia which rests not on exploitation but on a base of universal human rights. There must be no slaves and involuntary servitude in Hong Kong!

我們在此呼籲所有對外籍傭工負責任及表示肯定的香港僱主聯署本文件，共同顯示出香港社會人性及前進的一面，並且是一個建基在普世人權而非剝削之上的亞洲「國際都會」。香港不應有奴隸及非自願的奴役。