Maid charged excessive fee after allegedly blocking pipe

(MENAFN- Asia Times)

A Filipino maid complained to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Hong Kong on Sunday after her employer deducted HK$1,500 (US$191) from her salary and alleged her panties had clogged the toilet sewage pipe.

The domestic worker denied the accusation, but her employer insisted she was the culprit as she was the only one using that washroom, sunwebhk.com reported. To prove her innocence, the maid sent photos of her underwear to Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre, saying none of her lingerie was missing.

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She also complained that her employer regularly blamed her and deducted money from her salary when something was broken in the home. The employer justified this by telling the maid the employment agency, Smart Employment, had told her she could do so.

The maid said HK$5,000 had been deducted from her wages over damaged goods in the house, but swore she had not been responsible. Her employer had also kept her passport since she started work.

According to the Practical Guide For Employment Of Foreign Domestic Helpers by the Labour Department, the allowable amount to be deducted for an employer's damaged or lost goods or property due to negligence by the worker must not exceed HK$300.

The maid called the agency and asked them to inform her employer that it was illegal to deduct excessive amounts from her salary. Reports say the employer has returned the money and the maid's passport.

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