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The government of Hong Kong will announce a moderate increase in the
wage rates of foreign domestic workers not later than June 2008,
which is expected to benefit Filipino workers there, the labor
department said.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said that Hong
Kong authorities are waiting for the statistical data on consumer
price index, gross domestic product and other economic indicators,
all expected to be released at the end of April, before they can
determine the amount of increase in the wages of foreign workers.
In 2007, there were are about 125,000 Filipino
household workers in Hong Kong, representing 50 percent of the
household workers population, according to the data from the Hong
Kong Labour and Welfare Department. The other half are Indonesian
workers.
The Department of Labor and Employment said
there are 28,000 additional ex-patriate managers settling in Hong
Kong every year, most of them needing the services of household
help.
The concerned authorities will inform the
Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong of the wage increase a few
minutes before they will make the public announcement, Roque said.
The present salary of the foreign domestic
workers in Hong Kong is HK$3,480 a month, which is HK$270 less than
the salary in 2003.
The Hong Kong Government imposed a HK$400 levy
against employers in 2003 that resulted in an equivalent reduction
in the wages of foreign domestic workers.
Over the past two years, they raised the monthly
wage by HK$50 and HK$80, respectively.
During her recent trip to Hong Kong, President
Arroyo instructed Roque to meet with his counterpart there to
negotiate an adjustment in the wages of Filipinos. Roque met
Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung of the
Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to discuss
the matter.
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