Hot debate on Hong Kong maid using air-con

Feeling the heat: Migrant workers working as domestic maids walking past air conditioning units of a residential apartment block in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels district. — AFP

Hong Kong: Calls to restrict air conditioning for Hong Kong’s domestic maids amid sweltering temperatures were dubbed inhumane by rights groups, after a politician suggested helpers should get “used to the hot weather”.

The city is home to over 340,000 migrant domestic workers, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, but concerns have grown over their welfare after several high-profile abuse cases.