Filipino waiter in HK seeks compensation for work-related injuries

MANILA, Philippines - A 20-year-old Filipino waiter in Hong Kong who suffered second degree burns in different parts of his body due to a work-related incident is seeking compensation, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said on Wednesday. On January 21, Melvin Delos Reyes got burned when a flaming Lamborghini wine that was to be served to one of the bar’s customers was accidentally splashed on his back, causing him second degree burns on the face and chest. Delos Reyes was reportedly stationed behind the cashier’s desk receiving payments when the flaming wine smoldered him. However, the AHRC said in a statement that while other customers and bar staff scrambled to help a customer also caught by the fire, only a few took notice of the Filipino waiter’s condition. If one of the bar staff had not come to his rescue, hospital personnel said that he could have suffered more serious injuries. Delos Reyes was reportedly clueless as to how the accident happened, only to later learn that the fire that burned him was caused by a flaming wine his fellow waiter had served. Fr. Robert Reyes, staff member of the AHRC, interviewed Delos Reyes and his mother Cheung Babelyn who both shared their personal experience about the difficulties they had in order to have the Filipino worker’s injuries treated. Since December 2007, Delos Reyes has been working in The Cavern, one of a chain of bars and coffee shops owned by Igor’s Group. It reportedly took several weeks before the victim’s family was notified by Hong Kong’s Labor Department that they could in fact claim compensation for the accident. Babelyn also reportedly tried to file a complaint with the police but was told that it should be the human resource office of Delos Reyes’ company who should do so. The AHRC said that under Hong Kong law, either the employer or the employee can file a petition for compensation with the Labor Department. Delos Reyes had been admitted for weeks at a hospital and continues to receive treatment for his injuries but the management of his company is reportedly already insisting that he returns to work. The Asian Human Rights Commission is a Hong Kong-based regional non-governmental organization that monitors and lobbies human rights issues in Asia. The group was founded in 1984. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV