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| Balladares (in black) says HK should pay FDHs a 'living wage' and not give token increases |
Foreign domestic helpers comprising different nationalities picketed the Labour Department office in Sheung Wan this afternoon to demand that their monthly salary be raised to no less than $6,172 and their food allowance to $3,123.
The picket by
the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body was held ahead of the government consultation
with various stakeholders on the new FDH wage which is traditionally announced
in September each year, and takes effect the next month.
The current
minimum salary that took effect last year is $4,870 with the optional food
allowance raised to $1,236.
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AMCB chairperson
Dolores Balladares said the minimum salary that they are asking for is based on
the “living wage” calculated by charity group Oxfam, using updated government
data. The amount is a mere $156 more than the $6,016 that the group had been
fighting for, for years.
But the food
allowance demanded is $1,887 higher than the current one.
Balladares said
that what FDHs are aspiring for is not just the “piecemeal” or “small increases
“ of between $100 to $150 that the Hong Kong government has mandated in the
past few years. What they want is a “living wage” which will allow them to live
decently in Hong Kong, according to her.
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Such a salary
should be given to all domestic workers, not just those who come in from
overseas, but also the locals employed in similar jobs.
In their
dialogue with labor officials AMCB also planned to raise concerns about their
long working hours, the lack of suitable accommodation provided to many of their
counterparts, the overcharging of agency fees, and the lack of a law that makes it mandatory for employers to pay
for long service.
The AMCB also
remains concerned about the job-hopping allegations from employers that the
Labour Department has effectively recognized by requiring empoyment agencies to
warn FDHs about the consequences of pre-terminating their employment contracts.
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