Filipinos in Hong Kong were promised a new life in Poland. It never came
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Jan 2024
Location: Hong Kong
Other
Not Reported ( Recruitment agencies ) - RecruiterAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines , Cleaning & maintenance , Women , Unknown migration status )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Access to Information , Debt BondageResponse
Response sought: No
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Jan 2024
Location: Hong Kong
Companies
CIS Group Manpower - Recruiter , Son Employment - RecruiterAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines - Sector unknown , Gender not reported , Documented migrants )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Contract SubstitutionResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: The owner of CIS Group Manpower said he leads an “honest” agency that follows Polish regulations and denied defrauding or overcharging workers. He said his firm was no longer working with Son Employment and claimed that he had been “cheated” by its owner. He did not offer details about their falling out. A spokesman for Hong Kong’s Labour Department said Son Employment ceased operations on May 31, 2022, and had its licence cancelled soon after. The former owner of Son Employment rejected Mehmood’s accusations and claimed he was “a victim” of CIS Group Manpower himself. He also did not elaborate on the souring of their business relationship. He said he reimbursed dozens of Filipino workers who reported problems with their applications for Poland. “I refunded some money to applicants if they had good reasons – but, of course, maybe 40 percent,” he said, adding that he could not provide full refunds because payments had already been made to the partner agency in Poland. He said he now works as an adviser for another employment agency in Hong Kong, declined to disclose how much he charged migrant workers or how many used his services. He claimed that employment agencies were losing money because “six out of eight” Filipino workers abscond from their job after arriving in Poland, without offering evidence in support of his claim.
Source type: News outlet
…Labour advocates in the financial hub say that the victims of an international network of recruiters and agencies have lost at least 600,000 Hong Kong dollars ($76,785) – but that is likely to only be the tip of the iceberg.
Al Jazeera spoke with five Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong and read written statements from 20 others who claim to have been deceived by online recruiters and at least two agencies in Hong Kong that worked with a Poland-based agency.
Many said they were unable to support their families for months after taking out loans to cover the recruitment fees…
The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong had recorded 24 formal complaints against a Poland-based agency, CIS Group Manpower, as of the end of November – 18 of which named Son Employment as its Hong Kong partner…
The owner of the CIS Group Manpower, Imran Mehmood, said he leads an “honest” agency that follows Polish regulations and denied defrauding or overcharging workers…
Kenneth Tang, Son Employment’s former owner, rejected Mehmood’s accusations and claimed he was “a victim” of CIS Group Manpower himself. He also did not elaborate on the souring of their business relationship…