By The SUN
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| DMW Secretary Susan Ople during meeting with HK Labour Chief Chris Sun |
The Department of Migrant Workers in the Philippines will be
sending a team to Hong Kong next month to start talks on the possible
deployment of Filipino caregivers to the city.
DMW Secretary Susan Ople made the announcement yesterday, Jan 12, after talks on Monday with Hong Kong Secretary for Labour Chris Sun who visited the Philippines for three days to meet with various government officials and observe the training given by Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority).
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During his visit, Sun mentioned Hong Kong’s decision to start hiring an additional 3,000 caregivers from abroad in the first part of the year, in line a resolution passed by the Executive Council on Dec 13 last year to address the acute shortage of workers at care homes for the elderly and disabled.
Hong Kong has set a quota of 7,000 for the hiring of imported workers for this sector, but 4,000 have already been filled by mainland workers.
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The proposed salary for the imported workers range between HK$12,000 and HK$20,000, or from Php85,000 to Php140,000.
Ople welcomed the possibility of Filipino workers being considered for the caregiver posts.
“This would provide additional job opportunities for our caregivers, under conditions that value their skills and are cognizant of their rights and welfare,” she said in a statement.
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She however, stressed, that there are concerns that should be
addressed first, like the need to train those to be deployed to speak
Cantonese, which is the only language most of Hong Kong’s elderly understand.
Ople tapped Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne Caunan to head the DMW team that will take up the matter in Hong Kong next month, but did not give a specific date for the visit.
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During her talks with Sun, Ople conveyed the Philippine government’s appreciation for Hong Kong’s effort to ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
She also welcomed Hong Kong’s annual review of the minimum allowable wage of foreign domestic helpers, which now stands at HK$4,730, (or Php35,475).
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Ople also proposed a collaboration between the Philippines and Hong Kong authorities on informing Filipino migrant workers on their rights and how they can seek assistance when they are in distress.
The latest data from Immigration show there are around 188,000 Filipinos working as FDHs in Hong Kong.
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