In fact, the Liberal Party has set up a special committee to investigate these cases. Its members include lawyers who can advise on the legal issues. We have arranged to meet officials in the relevant government departments on January 3 at 10:30am together with workers representative groups so that they can relay to us their specific complaints and case histories. Those readers who are genuinely concerned about these practices, are welcome to join us to fight for this cause.

Regarding the widespread practice of retaining maids' salaries for 6 or 7 months as commission, I am told that in most cases it is loan sharks in their own countries who prey on these women. Some agencies claim that they do not keep the wages personally, but use them to pay off the loan sharks so that their clients can be free of debt.

Whatever the truth of the matter, I must point out that there is nothing my party or the HK government can do about exploitation or extortion of foreign domestic workers by their own citizens in their home country.

Weeks ago I met with the Philippine Consul General, Mrs.Victoria Bataclan, and asked that her government take action to stamp out malpractice of this kind. Since then my calls to ascertain progress have gone unanswered. We can only call upon these consulates to provide proper protection for their citizens. If they do not do so, there is little that I, my party, or the HK Government can do about it.

However, we also believe that it is the higher level of wages paid to domestic workers here as compared to neighbouring labour markets that encourages unscrupulous agencies to prey on them. Levying employers, and lowering the minimum wage could help to lessen these problems. We are, however, determined to see that so far as Hong Kong employers are concerned, contracts are honoured, and foreign workers fairly treated.

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