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| The AMCB leaders say employers can afford the $6,106 minimum wage |
Foreign domestic workers groups told officials of the Labour Department today that they want their minimum wage to be raised to $6,016 (from $4,730) and their food allowance to $3,065 (from $1,196).
Migrant domestic groups and their supporters met
with labour officials for about two hours at the Labour Department office in
Central as part of the government’s yearly annual review of the minimum
allowable wage (MAW) for foreign domestic helpers.
But despite the lengthy consultation, no assurance
was given to the FDW groups that the government will listen to their plea. They
were told that as before, the government still needed to consult with employers
groups and other stakeholders, and take into consideration other economic
indicators before deciding on a new MAW, which is ordinarily announced at the
end of September.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE! |
“There’s no clear statement from the government
about the fate of our wages, but again we are optimistic that the government
will listen to our demands because $6,016 is not a big amount of money and we
believe the employers can afford to give this much wage to their domestic
helpers,” said Dolores Balladares, spokesperson of the Asian Migrants Coordinating
Body.
Asked why the government would deviate from its
years-long practice of increasing FDW wages for just about $100 each year,
Balladares said it’s because what they are asking for is just enough for them to
live decently in a costly place like Hong Kong.
“We deserve to get a living wage,” she said.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALY |
Asked why they have ramped up their demand for a
food allowance, Sringatin, also an AMCB spokesperson said it is because food
prices have gone up considerably.
Those on food allowance are also not generally allowed
to cook in their employers’ houses, so they end up buying their meals outside, which
could cost a lot.
Those who don’t get a food allowance are in a worse situation as they are often made to eat leftovers, said Balladares.
Sringatin said that while employers often say their
helpers are free to partake of whatever food is in the house, they would sometimes
call the police and accuse their helper of “stealing” their food.
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| The AMCB leaders stage protest after the 2-hour meeting with labour officials |
The two FDW leaders also called on the government to
keep a tight rein on employment agencies who charge illegal fees on FDWs.
According to Sringatin, the recent controversy over
passing on to employers the full cost of recruiting domestic workers from
Indonesia should be looked into more thoroughly, saying the only ones who would
benefit from the increased fees are the employment agencies.
She said that what the recruiters in Indonesia and
Hong Kong are charging employers –which is between $16,000 and $20,000- is more
than enough for them to make a profit, so the worker should no longer be
charged.
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Balladares added that while the Philippine
government has long ago insisted that it has adopted a no-placement fee policy
in the deployment of Filipino domestic workers abroad, in reality, an FDW in
Hong Kong is still asked to pay the equivalent of their monthly pay.
During the meeting, the domestic workers also
demanded the government drops its “malicious and discriminatory” allegation of
job-hopping against FDWs who try to switch jobs while in Hong Kong, and instead,
allow them to freely change employers.
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| BASAHIN ANG DETALYE |
They also called for the scrapping of the two-week
rule, which gives a FDW whose contract is prematurely terminated only 14 days
to remain in Hong Kong; legislate working hours for FDWs, ensure employers give
days-off and statutory holidays to their FDWs, allow direct hiring, stop the
overcharging and illegal collection of fees by employment agencies; and lift
the entry ban on Nepalese migrant workers.
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| PADALA NA! |
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