 |
| AMCB spokesperson Dolo Balladares (with mic) speaks to the press while Indonesian leader Sringatin (center) and Mariel Tadalan look on |
By Daisy CL Mandap
One of the biggest migrant workers’ groups in Hong Kong has called on the government to increase the
minimum salary of foreign domestic workers to $5,500 (US$706) and the food
allowance to $2,500 (US$321) per month.
The call was made by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body
(AMCB) at a protest rally held on Chater Road, Central last Sunday, Aug 20.
According to AMCB spokesman Eman Villanueva, their calls
focused on three Ws: wage, working hours and working and living conditions, and
their impact on the health of foreign domestic workers.
In its statement, AMCB said the wage increase it is seeking
will allow migrant domestic workers to cope with the increasing cost of living
in Hong Kong .
The food allowance sought, on the other hand, is meant to
ensure the workers’ well-being and their capacity to work.
Currently, the “minimum allowable wage” set for foreign
domestic helpers in Hong Kong is $4,310 and
the food allowance, which is given only to those who don’t get free food from
their employers, is $1,037.
Previously, it was $4,210 and $995, respectively.
“The measly increases of the MAW for the past years are very
much insufficient to reach a living wage for MDWs. Inflation in Hong Kong is
constant, yet the wage of MDWs are not adjusted accordingly against the upward
trend of the cost of commodities and of living in HK,” said the AMCB statement.
During the rally, a Filipina domestic worker who made
headlines after she won a constructive dismissal case against her Hong Kong
employer who made her sleep on the terrace and on the kitchen floor of his
house, was made to speak.
Mariel Tadalan echoed the call for better sleeping
arrangements for all FDWs.
AMCB expanded the demand to include the scrapping of the
mandatory live-in arrangement for FDWs.
“It is disappointing that despite the overwhelming (number
of) cases and evidence of the impact of the mandatory live-in arrangement, the
government has refused to even review the flaw of such policy. The AMCB
maintains that accommodation arrangement should be of mutual consent between
employers and MDWs while categories of unsuitable accommodation should be made
more clear,” the group said.
AMCB plans to hold a series of mass actions starting Sept. 3,
while pursuing dialogues with legislators and HK labour officials to press
their demands.
