Originally Posted by
Pickles
As for suing for unfair dismissal because you refused to renegotiate a housing allowance, you're welcome to explore it, but given employment laws, it's going to be a long slog and you're unlikely to win. And employers know this.
Yep, this is how such a conversation would go:
Them: Hello, we want to vary your contract to reduce your housing allowance. Do you agree? (Y/N)
You: No
Them: Fair enough. Here's your notice letter, we will pay you in lieu. Please clear your desk.
You go to employment lawyer
Employment lawyer: (if she is honest, and not wanting to rack up fees on your gullibility of HK contract/ labour law) Don't bother fighting it, everything was done legally.
As an aside, contracts in HK are pretty much sacrosanct. An employee can't change the contract with you without your approval, and vice versa. But if you don't agree, then the contract can be ended, as per what the contract says. If you want to be safe, then negotiate (at the start) a much longer notice period or early termination clause & fee - but likely this will be two way, so most people won't want to.