NextSharkNextShark.com

Domestic Worker in Hong Kong Fired After Boss Learns She Has Cancer

Domestic Worker in Hong Kong Fired After Boss Learns She Has Cancer

A Filipina domestic worker diagnosed with cervical cancer may lose access to free healthcare after being fired by her employer in Hong Kong.

March 4, 2019
SHARE
A Filipina domestic worker diagnosed with cervical cancer may lose access to free healthcare after being fired by her employer in Hong Kong.
Baby Jane Allas, 38, received her dismissal letter on Feb. 17 while on paid medical leave — a detail her employer denies.
 
“She was not fired while she was on sick leave. It was effective from after she finished her sick leave,” her female employer told the South China Morning Post.
A foreign domestic worker fired in Hong Kong must leave the city in two weeks. Additionally, they lose access to free healthcare, which all residents are entitled to.
Baby Jane Allas arrives for the first time in Hong Kong.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

Allas arrived in Hong Kong in 2017. On Jan. 20, she was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer and given sick leave.
“I feel so upset,” the mother-of-five told SCMP. “My main concern is: how am I going to get medical care and the meds I need?”
Allas left her employer’s residence on Feb. 19. While battling her condition, she is fighting to stay in Hong Kong on the grounds that she was illegally terminated.
In a Labour Department complaint, Allas argued that it is unlawful to fire an employee on paid sick leave.
She also claimed that her employer had violated parts of her contract, including failure to give her one day off each week and basic necessities, as she slept on a cupboard without a bed.
She also launched a complaint to the Equal Opportunities Commission, arguing that it is unlawful to discriminate a person with disability.
Allas’s future remains unclear. Aside from taking legal action, she has applied for a visa extension, although such will not grant her free healthcare. For now, an online campaign seeks to support her treatment needs.
“Due to her cancer diagnosis, she cannot be hired by a new employer,” said Jessica Papadopoulos, a Hong Kong resident who has employed Allas’s sister, Mary Anne, since 2015.
Sisters Baby Jane (left) and Mary Anne Allas (right)
Papadopoulos, who started the fundraising campaign, currently shoulders part of Allas’s expenses.
“We would happily employ her ourselves but she cannot be hired under a new contract with an active advanced cancer diagnosis … Once she has received treatment, we will work to place her with a new family and she is eager to go back to work.”
Images via GoGetFunding / Jessica Papadopoulos
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Carl Samson

      Carl Samson is a Senior Editor for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.