Fixed wages for household service workers ranging from P1,500 to P2,500, among others, have been approved by Congress on Tuesday, a House leader said.

Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora province, chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, made the disclosure just hours after the Kasambahay bill—a measure, which grants fixed wages and health benefits for the household service workers—earned the nod of the Bicameral Conference Committee at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

Under the Kasambahay measure, household service workers working in the National Capital Region would receive at least P2,500 for a monthly salary. On the other hand, household service workers in the provinces would earn a monthly salary worth P2,000 (for chartered cities and first class municipalities) and P1,500 (for the rest of the municipalities), respectively.

Moreover, the Kasambahay bill tasks the employers of the household service workers to provide for their helpers’ Philheath, Social Security System (SSS) and Home Development Mutual Fund dues, if their helpers are earning below P5,000. If the salary of a certain household service worker exceeds P5,000, the payment for the aforementioned benefits would be split between the employer and the employee.

“The dispute mainly is on the provision on the minimum wage. In the House version, we left the determination of the wage to the wage boards. For the Senate, it sets a minimum P3,000 for those in Metro Manila. We met halfway and employed a hybrid system,” Angara said during the weekly Ugnayan sa Batasan News Forum.

The hybrid system, Angara explained, means that the fixed wage would only be good for the first year and would be raised or maintained by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards in the succeeding years.

“The P3,000 [minimum wage in Metro Manila] was decreased because there were worries that higher salaries for household service workers would mean calls for higher salaries for those who employ them. Besides, the wage boards cannot reduce the minimum wage set by the Kasambahay bill anyway,” Angara pointed out.

Assistant Majority Leader Sherwin Tugna of Citizens Battle Against Corruption party-list backed Angara, saying that legislators also had to balance the needs of both the employers and the household service workers.

“The legislators were extra careful because we also don’t want the measure to be burdensome on the employers,” Tugna added.

Aside from minimum wages and mandatory benefits, the Kasambahay bill also entitles household service workers an annual service incentive leave of five days with pay, as well as 13th month pay, provided that they have already rendered at least one year of service.

The employers, on the other hand, are prohibited from placing their helpers under debt bondage and hiring minors below 15 years of age and should allow their helpers to finish basic education and access higher education, technical and vocational training or other alternative learning systems.

All labor-related disputes will be elevated to the regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment, while ordinary crimes or offenses would be filled with regular courts.

“This measure sends a strong message to employers that helpers have rights and they have recourse against abuse. Employers should think twice before maltreating the household service workers,” Angara said in closing.

Aside from Angara, other House members of the Bicameral Conference include: Rep. Emil Ong of Northern Samar province who chairs the House Committee on Labor and Employment, Rep. Juan Ponce “Jackie” Enrile Jr. of Cagayan province, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro province, Rep. Walden Bello of Akbayan party-list, Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo of Valenzuela City, Janette Garin of Iloilo province, Edcel Lagman of Albay province and Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay of Zambales province.

The Senate contingent, on the distaff side, had Senators Jose Pimentel “Jinggoy” Estrada, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment; Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Manuel “Lito” Lapid.