Hong Kong has inked a minimum wage increase for foreign domestic helpers, benefitting thousands of Filipino domestic workers in the country.
The Hong Kong Labor Department on Friday, September 29, announced a 2.3 percent increase to HK$4,410 (P28,800) a month, applicable to job contracts signed on or after September 30.
According to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP), about 350,000 foreign domestic workers in the city will benefit from the wage hike as well as the HK$16 increase for food allowance to HK$1,053 a month.
“The government has taken into account Hong Kong’s near-term economic outlook, as well as affordability for employers on the one hand and the livelihood of foreign domestic helpers on the other,” SCMP quoted a spokesman from the labor department as saying.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also welcomed the increase, saying it will benefit “more than 196,000 Filipino household service workers in the city”.
“The Department, through the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, will continue to work together with the Hong Kong government and other relevant groups to protect the rights and ensure the welfare of OFWs in the Territory,” GMA News quoted the DFA.
Source: South China Morning Post (SCMP); GMA News
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