HK to decide on maids’ pay cut

Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong shared a common feeling of anxiety as authorities in the territory were set to decide this month if it will allow new wage cuts for foreign DHs.

Records at the Department of Labor and Employment showed there are about 160,000 Filipino DHs in Hong Kong.

Meeting with Philippine Consulate officials, Hong Kong Deputy Secretary for Education and Manpower Philip Chok Kin-fun said they have not decided on the plan to adjust the minimum allowable wage for foreign DHs.

The official said the Hong Kong government will review the plan pay decrease based on forthcoming economic indicators.

A report from the Philippine Consulate also stated that Kin-fun "intimated that the Hong Kong economy is not doing very well and there appears no indication that the situation will get better in the coming year."

Hong Kong officials justified the projected wage reduction by saying their economy was on the brink of recession.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong have staged a demonstration to protest the impending pay cut which was strongly supported by the Hong Kong Legislative Council to favor local workers.

"Discussions have taken place on the incentives to be given to local domestic helpers and the provision of training programs exclusive to them to give them more competitive edge over their foreign counterparts," the report stated.

Kin-fun gave assurance, however, that his government has no intention of capping the maximum number of foreign DHs at 100,000.

The latest wage reduction was implemented in 1999 when the local government allowed a five percent cut on the minimum wage of HK$3,860.

OFWs comprise more than 80 percent of foreign workers in Hong Kong. – Pia Lee-Brago