SHOP FIRE | Scholars call for improvements in migrant workers’ living conditions

The shop where the fatal accident occurred is guarded by police officers

Four Southeast Asian migrants died in a fire that broke out last week at a small local boutique, in an attic above the shop. It remains unclear how many people lived in the attic. Professor Cecilia Ho, from the Macau Polytechnic Institute’s social work department, says that the living conditions of migrant domestic helpers are worsening.
“There are normally around 8 to 10 – and sometimes even more – migrants staying in small, old flats, just with two bedrooms and one living room, around 400 to 500 feet,” she told The Times.
Cecilia Ho stressed that living conditions have worsened, since most employers hiring domestic workers only provide them with the minimum accommodation allowance of MOP500. “It is very difficult to find a place with good conditions to live in [with] only MOP500 a month,” she said.
The IPM scholar has urged the government to demand an increase of the minimum accommodation allowance. “Apart from rent, [the general cost of living] is becoming very high and their salaries have not been adjusted accordingly (…) the salary for Southeast Asian domestic workers is usually less than that granted to mainland domestic helpers,” the scholar added.
Cecilia Ho said that migrant workers usually get MOP2,500 per month plus MOP500 for accommodation. “This is a kind of racial discrimination and the Macau government has not been acting according to the Internal Labor Convention C189 – to ensure that domestic work is as a decent job, which deserves the same status of any other employment sector,” she stressed.
The IPM professor thinks the Labor Affairs Bureau and the Human Resources Office should bear the responsibility of monitoring and ensuring that migrant workers are provided with basic living conditions in Macau.
She questioned whether the employers of the four deceased migrants should take legal responsibility. “We should discuss this and request that both employers and employees know their rights,” Ms Ho added.
The professor also said that the government should revise current legislation, stipulating that employers acquire insurance covering medical care or any work-related accidents that might occur.
Ms Ho recalled that domestic helpers in Macau  are permitted to live outside their employers’ homes, which Hong Kong law does not allow. Although it helps them maintain their own private life without having to be on duty 24-7, it also raises other problems: “The allowance provided by the employer is not enough to fully cover accommodation, nor does it include benefits such as paid electricity, food, and other perks usually provided to those who live with their employers.”
The shop, located on Rua do Tarrafeiro, caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday last week. Two Indonesians (one man and a woman) and two Filipino nationals (male and female) were trapped inside and died. The Indonesian woman was a 34-year-old widow and leaves behind a nine-year-
old son.
Police authorities said in a press conference last week that there is no evidence to suggest it was a criminal act. The leader of Peduli Indonesian Migrant Concern Group, Cindry Purnasari, told TDM News that the group wants authorities to explain why the victims were unable to escape from the fire. Police said the victims were found in the attic. It might indicate that the fire broke out within the shop area, leaving the migrant workers stranded upstairs.
Ms Ho believes this is not a unique case. “I think there are many other similar cases, but not as fatal as this one. Fire incidents do happen, and migrant workers might not have enough knowledge of how to escape and [find] a safe place,” she stated.
Furthermore, Ms Ho recalled that this type of incident affects not only migrants, but also other citizens, depending on the building’s fire safety equipment, such as fire alarms or extinguishers.
Architect Francisco Vizeu Pinheiro, who teaches at the University of Saint Joseph, acknowledged that not all buildings comply with the appropriate fire safety measures. “It’s something we see often in Macau: there’s a high number of casualties when there’s a fire, because emergency exits or even simple exits are closed.”
He added that there are several buildings in the city where emergency exits have been locked. “It’s against the law. But if there are no inspections or further control over [safety measures], the law becomes ineffective,” he stressed.
Macau faces particular challenges on fire safety measures, especially in historic neighborhoods with older buildings, he said. These include bad management of emergency exits, as well as a lack of fire drills that could help residents be better prepared to act throughout fire incidents.
“If there were more fire drills, people would know better what [to] do and how to proceed in case of a fire. They would not be caught so off guard,” he suggested. Mr Pinheiro added that fire drills should be mandatory in residential buildings, shops, and restaurants.
However, it affects more modern construction as well as older buildings. “We have really tall buildings that do not meet some of the safety requirements,” he acknowledged.
He suggests that Macau could adopt similar measures as Singapore, particularly in old neighborhoods. “It’s called retro-fitting. Instead of demolishing buildings, which can get more expensive, they adapt them, perfecting security conditions.”
Another possible solution, he said, is related to the community itself. Mr Pinheiro believes Macau’s community should be more involved in launching and ensuring safety measures.
He concluded by saying that, “what Macau needs is a city hall and parish councils that could work on these issues. The community needs to come together, like they do in Japan, to work on the safety measures for each neighborhood, instead of relying only on the government.”

further inspections needed

Regulations on fire safety measures are crucial but insufficient, said architect Francisco Vizeu Pinheiro, from the University of Saint Joseph. The scholar believes that there’s a need to ensure shop owners and building management comply with safety rules, and that more fire inspections should be conducted. “Legislation is important. But inspections play an essential role, because when you’re building or trying to open a shop, you get licensed based on meeting certain safety requirements. But after that license is granted, changes might have been made and authorities need to conduct further inspections, ensuring that they still meet those requirements,” he stressed.