900 Pinoys denied work in HK after government ban

HONG KONG (AFP) – Some 900 people from the Philippines have been denied work in Hong Kong after President Gloria Arroyo’s decision to suspend the deployment of Filipina maids to the city to protest wage cuts, a Filipino workers group said Wednesday.

"Since the implementation of the ban on contract processing on March 10 by President Arroyo, there have been more than 900 would-be migrant workers denied contracts to work in Hong Kong," said Eman Villanueva, secretary-general of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.

The figure was compiled from the Philippine consulate which processes an average of 100 new applicants daily, he said.

"Nine hundred and still counting. How many more should suffer before President Arroyo lets go of this ill-advised ban?" asked Villanueva.

"If we assume a minimum of four dependants per worker, the number of Filipinos affected is a staggering 3,600," he added.

The group called on Arroyo to lift the ban immediately and unconditionally.

Arroyo suspended the deployment of Filipina maids to Hong Kong earlier this month, saying the wage cuts and employer levy were unfair and could unduly affect the Philippine economy.

The cut due to be imposed on April 1 would bring the average monthly wage of foreign maids down to HK$3,270 a month ($420). It effectively offsets a levy of HK$400 ($51 US) to be imposed on private employers of foreign household help by October.

The Philippines supplies about 64 percent of the estimated 240,000-strong foreign domestic work force in Hong Kong, followed by Indonesia and Thailand.

Remittances by these workers have traditionally helped prop up the Philippine economy, which has been in the doldrums since the 1997 Asian financial crisis.