Chxpat Guides

Rest days, statutory holidays and wages

Rest days, statutory holidays at sahod

Hari libur, hari libur resmi dan gaji

Under Hong Kong's Employment Ordinance, a foreign domestic helper is entitled to one rest day every week — it cannot be taken away or traded for money unless you agree in writing.

You are also entitled to all statutory holidays. Check the Labour Department's official list each year (search: 'Labour Department statutory holidays').

Wages must be paid on time, every month, into YOUR account. Keep your own record of hours and payments. If wages are delayed more than 7 days, that is already an offence — call the Labour Department hotline 2717 1771.

Sa ilalim ng Employment Ordinance ng Hong Kong, bawat foreign domestic helper ay may karapatan sa isang rest day kada linggo — hindi ito maiaalis o maipapalit ng pera kung wala kang nakasulat na pahintulot.

May karapatan ka rin sa lahat ng statutory holidays. Tingnan ang opisyal na listahan ng Labour Department taun-taon (hanapin: 'Labour Department statutory holidays').

Ang sahod ay dapat bayaran nang tama ang oras, buwan-buwan, sa IYONG account. Panatilihin ang sariling tala. Kapag lumampas ng 7 araw ang delay ng sahod — bawal na iyon. Tawagan ang Labour Department hotline 2717 1771.

Berdasarkan Employment Ordinance Hong Kong, setiap pekerja rumah tangga asing berhak atas satu hari libur setiap minggu — tidak boleh diambil atau ditukar uang kecuali kamu setuju secara tertulis.

Kamu juga berhak atas semua hari libur resmi (statutory holidays). Cek daftar resmi Labour Department setiap tahun.

Gaji harus dibayar tepat waktu, tiap bulan, ke rekeningmu sendiri. Simpan catatanmu sendiri. Jika gaji tertunda lebih dari 7 hari — itu sudah pelanggaran. Hubungi hotline Labour Department 2717 1771.

Agency fees: what helpers may be charged

Agency fees: ano lang ang pwedeng singilin sa iyo

Biaya agen: apa saja yang boleh ditagih

Hong Kong's code of practice says an employment agency may charge a helper no more than 10% of your first month's wage — nothing more. Overcharging is illegal.

Keep every receipt from your agency. If you were overcharged, you can report to the Employment Agents Administration (via the Labour Department hotline 2717 1771).

No employer or agency may keep your passport, HKID or bank card. That is against the law.

Ayon sa code of practice ng Hong Kong, ang employment agency ay hindi pwedeng maningil sa helper nang higit sa 10% ng unang buwan mong sahod — iyon lang. Bawal ang sobra.

Itago ang lahat ng resibo mula sa agency. Kapag nasobrahan ka ng singil, maaari kang magreklamo sa Employment Agents Administration (via Labour Department hotline 2717 1771).

Walang employer o agency na maaaring humawak ng passport, HKID o bank card mo. Labag iyon sa batas.

Kode etik Hong Kong: agen pekerja hanya boleh menagih maksimal 10% dari gaji bulan pertamamu — tidak lebih. Menagih lebih itu ilegal.

Simpan semua nota dari agen. Jika kamu ditagih berlebihan, lapor ke Employment Agents Administration (lewat hotline Labour Department 2717 1771).

Tidak ada majikan atau agen yang boleh menahan paspor, HKID atau kartu bankmu. Itu melanggar hukum.

Termination: notice and what you're owed

Termination: notice at kung ano ang dapat sa iyo

Pemutusan kontrak: pemberitahuan dan hakmu

Either side may end the contract with the notice in the contract (usually one month) or payment in lieu of notice.

When a contract ends, you are owed: final wages, unused statutory holiday pay, and — if you've worked long enough — long service payment or other end-of-contract payments. Ask the Labour Department or a helper NGO to check your case before you sign anything.

After finishing (or losing) a job you normally have a short grace period to find a new employer or change visa status — check the current rules with Immigration (search: 'Immigration Department FDH').

Parehong panig pwedeng tapusin ang contract ayon sa notice sa contract (karaniwan isang buwan) o bayad kapalit ng notice.

Kapag natapos ang contract, may dapat sa iyo: huling sahod, bayad sa di-nagamit na statutory holidays, at — kung sapat na ang tagal ng trabaho mo — long service payment o ibang end-of-contract payments. Ipacheck muna sa Labour Department o helper NGO ang case mo bago pumirma ng kahit ano.

Pagkatapos matapos (o mawalan) ng trabaho, may maikling grace period ka para makahanap ng bagong employer o magpalit ng visa status — tingnan ang kasalukuyang rules sa Immigration (hanapin: 'Immigration Department FDH').

Kedua pihak boleh mengakhiri kontrak sesuai pemberitahuan dalam kontrak (biasanya satu bulan) atau bayar pengganti pemberitahuan.

Saat kontrak berakhir, kamu berhak atas: gaji terakhir, bayaran hari libur resmi yang belum dipakai, dan — jika masa kerjamu cukup lama — long service payment atau pembayaran akhir kontrak lainnya. Minta Labour Department atau NGO memeriksa kasusmu sebelum tanda tangan apa pun.

Setelah selesai (atau kehilangan) pekerjaan, biasanya ada masa tenggang singkat untuk cari majikan baru atau ubah status visa — cek aturan terkini di Immigration.

Long service payment: your reward for years of service

Long service payment: gantimpala sa mga taon ng paglilingkod

Long service payment: imbalan atas tahun-tahun kerjamu

Signing your third contract with the same employer? Congratulations — that's six years of service, and five years is the magic number for the long service payment (LSP).

How it's calculated: your last monthly wage × 2/3 × years of service (an incomplete year counts pro rata). Example: HK$5,000 × 2/3 × 6 years ≈ HK$20,000.

When it's due: you worked 5+ continuous years for the same employer AND you were dismissed or not renewed for reasons other than serious misconduct or redundancy — or you resign on grounds of ill health, or at age 65+, or in the sad case of death in service. (Dismissed by genuine redundancy after 2+ years = severance payment instead — you get one or the other, never both.)

The trap to know: if your employer offers to renew in writing at least 7 days before your contract ends and you refuse without good reason, you lose the LSP. And if you resign yourself, you usually forfeit it — think carefully and get advice before you resign.

Keep everything: contracts, payslips, bank records — they prove your years of service. Dispute? Labour Department 2717 1771 or the FDH dedicated line 2157 9537 — free mediation first.

Magpapa-renew ka ba ng ikatlong contract sa iisang employer? Congratulations — anim na taon na ng service mo, at limang taon ang magic number para sa long service payment (LSP).

Paano kinukwenta: huling buwanang sahod mo × 2/3 × mga taon ng service (ang kulang na taon ay pro-rata). Halimbawa: HK$5,000 × 2/3 × 6 taon ≈ HK$20,000.

Kailan dapat bayaran: nakatrabaho mo ang 5+ taong tuloy-tuloy sa iisang employer AT tinanggal ka o hindi na-renew dahil hindi naman serious misconduct o redundancy — o nag-resign ka dahil sa kalusugan, o dahil 65+ ka na, o sa mahagang pagkakataon ng pagpanaw habang nasa serbisyo. (Tinanggal dahil totoong redundancy pagkatapos ng 2+ taon = severance payment naman — isa lang sa dalawa, hindi pareho.)

Ang bitag na dapat mong malaman: kung nag-alok ang employer ng renewal sa sulat nang di bababa sa 7 araw bago matapos ang contract mo at tinanggihan mo nang walang sapat na dahilan, mawawala sa iyo ang LSP. At kung ikaw mismo ang nag-resign, karaniwan ay wala kang makukuha — isipin mabuti at humingi muna ng payo bago mag-resign.

Itago ang lahat: contracts, payslips, bank records — katunayan iyon ng mga taon ng service mo. May di-pagkakaunawaan? Labour Department 2717 1771 o ang FDH dedicated line 2157 9537 — libreng mediation muna.

Akan memperbarui kontrak ketiga dengan majikan yang sama? Selamat — itu sudah enam tahun masa kerja, dan lima tahun adalah angka ajaib untuk long service payment (LSP).

Cara hitung: gaji bulanan terakhir × 2/3 × tahun masa kerja (tahun yang belum penuh dihitung proporsional). Contoh: HK$5.000 × 2/3 × 6 tahun ≈ HK$20.000.

Kapan dibayar: kamu bekerja 5+ tahun berturut-turut dengan majikan yang sama DAN dipecat atau tidak diperbarui karena alasan selain kesalahan berat atau redundancy — atau mengundurkan diri karena alasan kesehatan, atau karena usia 65+, atau dalam kasus duka meninggal saat bekerja. (Dipecat karena redundancy sungguhan setelah 2+ tahun = severance payment — hanya salah satu, bukan keduanya.)

Jebakan yang perlu diketahui: jika majikan menawarkan perpanjangan tertulis minimal 7 hari sebelum kontrakmu berakhir dan kamu menolak tanpa alasan yang wajar, LSP-mu gugur. Dan jika kamu sendiri yang mengundurkan diri, biasanya tidak mendapat apa pun — pikirkan matang-matang dan minta saran dulu sebelum resign.

Simpan semuanya: kontrak, slip gaji, catatan bank — bukti masa kerjamu. Ada sengketa? Labour Department 2717 1771 atau jalur khusus FDH 2157 9537 — mediasi gratis lebih dulu.

Travelling with your employer: do's and don'ts

Biyahe kasama ang employer mo: dapat at huwag

Bepergian dengan majikan: boleh dan jangan

DO agree everything in writing first (WhatsApp messages count): dates, destination, who you'll look after, where you'll sleep, and how your rest days will be handled.

DO remember your rights don't stay home: your statutory rest days don't disappear just because you're all on a trip — agree in advance which days are yours.

DO keep your own passport and travel documents. They belong to you by law — carry them or know exactly where they are. Leave a copy with your family.

DO ask about insurance and visa: does their travel insurance cover you? Who arranges your visa? Save the Philippine/Indonesian embassy or consulate number of the country you're visiting, and share your itinerary with someone you trust.

DON'T hand your passport to anyone — not the employer, not the agency, not anyone 'keeping it safe'. Holding a helper's passport is illegal.

DON'T take on work outside your contract — cooking for relatives, cleaning another family's home, working in the employer's shop. If asked, politely say you'll check first; out-of-contract work can jeopardise your visa.

DON'T pay costs your employer promised to cover (visa, ticket, insurance) without a written promise to reimburse you.

DON'T stay silent if something feels wrong — message someone you trust, and if you're in trouble contact your consulate or the Labour Department hotline 2717 1771.

DO — pag-usapan lahat nang nakasulat muna (sapat na ang WhatsApp messages): petsa, destination, sino ang aalagaan mo, saan ka matutulog, at paano haharapin ang rest days mo.

DO — tandaan, hindi naiiwan sa bahay ang mga karapatan mo: hindi nawawala ang statutory rest days mo dahil lang nasa biyahe kayo — magkasunduan nang maaga kung aling mga araw ang sa iyo.

DO — hawak mo ang passport at travel documents mo. Sa iyo iyon ayon sa batas — dalhin mo o alamin mo kung nasaan eksakto. Mag-iwan ng kopya sa pamilya mo.

DO — itanong ang insurance at visa: sakop ka ba ng travel insurance nila? Sino ang mag-aayos ng visa mo? I-save ang numero ng Philippine/Indonesian embassy o consulate sa bansang pupuntahan ninyo, at ipaalam ang itinerary mo sa pinagkakatiwalaan mo.

DON'T — huwag ipasa ang passport mo kahit kanino — employer man, agency, o sinumang 'nag-iingat lang daw'. Ilegal ang paghawak sa passport ng helper.

DON'T — huwag gumawa ng trabahong labas sa contract mo — pagluluto para sa kamag-anak, paglilinis sa bahay ng ibang pamilya, pagtatrabaho sa negosyo ng employer. Kung mahingi, mabait na sabihing i-checheck muna; ang trabahong labas sa contract ay maaaring ikasama ng visa mo.

DON'T — huwag magbayad ng gastusin na ipinangako ng employer sasagutin (visa, tiket, insurance) nang walang nakasulat na pangako na babayaran ka.

DON'T — huwag manahimik kung may mali ang pakiramdam mo — mensahe ang pinagkakatiwalaan mo, at kung napahamak ka, tawagan ang consulate mo o ang Labour Department hotline 2717 1771.

LAKUKAN — sepakati semuanya tertulis lebih dulu (pesan WhatsApp pun sah): tanggal, tujuan, siapa yang kamu jaga, di mana kamu tidur, dan bagaimana hari liburmu ditangani.

LAKUKAN — ingat, hakmu tidak tertinggal di rumah: hari libur resmi tidak hilang hanya karena kalian sedang bepergian — sepakati lebih dulu hari mana yang milikmu.

LAKUKAN — simpan sendiri paspor dan dokumen perjalananmu. Secara hukum itu milikmu — bawa sendiri atau tahu persis di mana ada. Tinggalkan salinan di keluargamu.

LAKUKAN — tanyakan asuransi dan visa: apakah asuransi perjalanan mereka menanggungmu? Siapa yang mengurus visamu? Simpan nomor kedutaan/konsulat Filipina/Indonesia di negara tujuan, dan bagikan itinerarymu kepada orang yang kamu percaya.

JANGAN — serahkan paspormu kepada siapa pun — majikan, agen, maupun orang yang 'menjaga saja'. Menahan paspor pekerja rumah tangga itu ilegal.

JANGAN — kerjakan pekerjaan di luar kontrakmu — memasak untuk kerabat, membersihkan rumah keluarga lain, bekerja di usaha majikan. Jika diminta, sopan bilang mau konfirmasi dulu; pekerjaan di luar kontrak bisa membahayakan visamu.

JANGAN — bayar biaya yang dijanjikan majikan akan ditanggung (visa, tiket, asuransi) tanpa janji tertulis akan menggantimu.

JANGAN — diam jika ada yang terasa salah — hubungi orang yang kamu percaya, dan jika kesusahan hubungi konsulatmu atau Labour Department hotline 2717 1771.