Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong fired after employer found out she has cervical cancer
- The Philippine national stands to lose access to free medical care
- Supporters have launched an online fundraising drive to help her
Less than a month after Baby Jane Allas, 38, was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she received more bad news.
On February 17, while she was on paid medical leave prescribed by a government doctor, Allas was given a dismissal letter. Her employers were terminating her contract because of her illness.
Still shaken by the diagnosis and her unemployment, Allas said: “I feel so upset … My main concern is: how am I going to get medical care and the meds I need?”
Allas, a single mother of five, has filed a complaint with the Labour Department, arguing her employers flouted Hong Kong’s Employment Ordinance that says it is unlawful to dismiss an employee who is on paid sick leave. She also reported her employer had committed several contract violations, including not giving her one full day off each week and failing to provide basic necessities, such as a bed.
