In case anyone missed the news from last month, the Hong Kong government approved raising helper's minimum salary to $4,310 ($100 increase). Any contract signed on or after October 1st must adhere to the new change.

Food allowance if given is now $1,037 ($42 increase).

Helper groups were seeking an increase of the minimum wage to $5,000 per month but without success.

http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/employment/recruitment/foreigndomestichelper.htm

fair to whom?

RunningRoach wrote on Nov 24^th, 2016 at 11:49pm:


The use of "still" suggests something else.

You really think that 4310 HKD to work 6 days a week with often long working hours is "fair" ?

Xxxx wrote on Nov 25^th, 2016 at 12:05am:

It is fair if food and lodging are provided in addition.  The sum of 4310 HKD is 'spending money' and you may believe this or not:  it is more than many Hong Kong residents, including myself, have to play with at the end of a month.

"Fair"... what is "fair"? And who decides (the employer of a domestic helper?)?
average monthly income in Phil: HK$ 1,250.--
min. wage for Phil. domestic helper in HKG: HK$ 4,310.-- Is that unfair because at home they would get less?
average monthly income in
Hong Kong:  HK$ 15,000
Switzerland: HK$ 47,000 (fair because cheese is more expensive than chicken feet?)
Italy:           HK$ 18,000
Germany:    HK$ 30,000 (fair because sausage is more expensive than Pizza)?
China:          HK$ 4,900
Cuba:           HK$  220.-- (fair because rum is for free?)
Australia:     HK$ 26,000.--
Thailand:     HK$ 3,000.-- (fair because the sun shines so much?)
How much is a Big Mac in Switzerland? Hong Kong? Philippines? No Big Mac in Cuba therefore lowest income?
I think we ought to be careful when "deciding" what the domestic helpers in HKG "deserve"... that's what I take here from the comments... we decide what "they deserve"... Don't like such communication!

MCC wrote on Nov 25^th, 2016 at 12:50am:

I don't think anyone is confused. Not sure to get the point either, obviously their salary can be higher, but we're talking about the legal oe here, not an hypothetical case.


MCC wrote on Nov 25^th, 2016 at 4:53am:

I often hear this kind of argument " it's fine since they would get 10% of that in their country. Even in a doctor in their country doesn't get that. Etc."
I don't believe this kind of argument is morally right, shouldn't your work compensation be based  on the residing country standards?
With this kind of reasoning we could justify quite a lot of awful things... Let's pick up even poorer country's immigrants...

my thoughts exactly twinkleberry

For a few helpers, MAW is pocket money because they have no familial obligations. It is their own money to spend and use. But for the majority of helpers, the MAW is their salary and not enough to support family especially if there's a sickness, death, accident, school enrollment, Christmas, natural disaster (earthquake, typhoon, flooding).

MAW protects helpers by ensuring they have a guaranteed wage. The employer is free to pay any amount above the MAW. There are helpers who are paid nothing, only sponsored to have a visa. At the extreme end there are helpers engaged in illegal work earning more than locals and in excess of $10,000 per month.

That happened to me.  I now do everything myself.

Semantics about whether it's called salary or pocket money aside, the ones in DB dress well and used smartphones long before others could afford them.  There are even some who have no financial need for a real job but have saved well and now just do occasional part-time cleaning.

The purpose of writing this is not to bash helpers but ask those who rise up in liberal anger about FDH salary and conditions to look more closely the place they live in - I mean Hong Kong - and look at the genuine poor.  They are NOT foreign domestic helpers.

I think this topic got a bit sidetracked. Let me put the topic into perspective.

I think we can all agree that it is a considered a luxury to have a cook, housekeeper, driver which used to be affordable only to the upper class. In developed countries, the middle class usually can't even afford to have a babysitter.

The Philippines is a good example of a country largely stuck in time with little to no progress made since the fall of Marcos. A maid costs as little as HK$ 250 per month outside the cities and HK$ 500 per month in the cities. It's no wonder there's been an exodus of millions of Filipinos for three generations seeking work in servitude abroad.

If you want context about whether HKSAR's MAW is fair to FDH, you only need look at the comparable salaries in other countries. In most countries, Filipino helpers are paid less than half the HK MAW.

Singapore recently increase their MAW to SGD 550 which is just under HK$ 3,000. In Kuwait, a maid is paid HK $1,900, in Saudi Arabia HK$ 3,200. Taiwan is now HK$ 4,000, still behind Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, the MAW is now $4,310. If you add food allowance, this is HK$ 5,347

The Philippine government is trying to push for a global MAW of USD 400 (equiv HK$ 3,100 per month). Most countries have resisted, some have adopted it.

There are few countries offering better salary than Hong Kong. These are Japan HK$ 10,000, Canada close HK$ 10,000 (based on minimum wage per hour), and illegally in mainland China HK$ 8,000.

There are already more Filipinos working in China as maids than in Hong Kong, attracted by a higher salary. I think many of those are also signed in Hong Kong but illegally stationed in China to do house chores. They usually have to make a pit stop in Hong Kong every 3 months to renew the China visa.

As for the tiny few in Discovery Bay who "don't need a real job", they ARE working, but you just don't know what they are doing. There are some helpers bragging about making over HK $30,000 per month.

Ger, helpers can't choose to live out without the consent of their employer. It takes two to tango. The topic is getting sidetracked when you start talking about how the MAW is not a salary nor a wage. Sorry that you had a bad experience with a helper but don't paint all of them with the same brush. Many employers hold a grudge from personal experience just as helpers also hold a grudge against employers.

Many helpers don't want to work for Indians or Chinese particularly because they are too strict and will work them to the bone. To some extent they don't want to work for Spanish, Italian, French, Korean employers because these are too fussy and hot tempered.

Now, I say the topic is getting sidetracked because the discussion was turning to comparing LOW SKILL workers such as domestic helpers to that of regular workers. $4,310 should not be compared to $15,000 of local workers. It would be more appropriate to compare the salaries of foreign helpers in other countries.

As for food allowance, do you know many employers give neither food nor food allowance even if stated on the contract? Likewise, many employers underpay their helper or even make them work in 2 or 3 different locations. (Not only the employer's home, but also the home of their parents or sibling or colleague). It's quite common now for employer to share a helper, one will sign but they will split the MAW between them.

Two years ago in 2014, helpers were seeking MAW increase to $4,500. This year they sought $5,000. But each time the government only allowed less than 3% increase each year.

It's a fact that as the economies of Philippines and Indonesia continue to grow, the standard of living and price of goods, services, transportation also go up. The only saving grace right now is the Philippine Peso is weak, making the remittance sent home worth a lot more.

As others pointed out, an employer can pay more than the $4,310 MAW, there are many who pay $6,000 to $10,000 here in Discovery Bay.

Agree.  I was watching an RTHK programme about a woman who paid $6,000 a month for a subdivided flat of less than 200 sq. ft.  Her salary was $10,000 and rather than being able to do what she liked with the remaining $4,000, she had to feed herself and her mother and pay transport and utilities.  This is my point about the FDH salary.

This thread is not being sidetracked or hijacked.  The OP implies that FDH are poorly recompensed but the matter needs to be seen in a local perspective.  Comparison with foreign countries is quite irrelevant.

Yeah, right . Whatever

not sure if this logic is correct; maybe it's simply the lesser evil here...

Mind you, they have covered housing (if they live with you, aka no rent, no mortgage), no electricity bills to pay, food almost usually covered. Housing is the biggest portion of expenses for working adults.