Overseas maids’ salary doubled

Despite the mounting threat from several host countries to cease from hiring Filipino maids, the Philippines is set to double the minimum pay for domestic helpers abroad.

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said starting Dec. 15, all departing domestic helpers will be getting a monthly pay of $400 while those who are already working abroad will start to enjoy higher salaries next year.

"We would like this new policy doubling the salaries of domestic helpers to show how much we value our women workers that they have to get at least $400 monthly pay," Brion said yesterday.

According to Brion, the government also needs to enforce the new policy in an effort to curb the high incidence of abuses and maltreatment against Filipina domestic helpers.

"We are seriously concerned with the situation of our domestic helpers. It’s about time to go to the higher end of the market," Brion said, noting that 80 percent of the labor cases being handled by labor offices abroad involved Filipino maids.

But this early, Brion said, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is already expecting strong opposition to the implementation of the new policy.

"We expect serious lobby against this (policy) but this is an area we have to start to improve the condition of our domestic helpers," Brion said in an interview.

Earlier, local recruitment agencies warned the government against increasing the salaries of domestic helpers, saying the policy is tantamount to closing the market for Filipina maids.

Governments of the traditional market for Filipina maids such as Kuwait and Lebanon have also threatened to refrain from recruiting household workers from the Philippines once the new policy is implemented.

While admitting that the new policy could result to a slight drop in the hiring of domestic helpers, Brion maintained that the negative effects of the salary hike would be temporary and negligible.

"There may be slight dip by the time the policy is fully implemented in February next year but it would not be noticeable and we expect the hiring of domestic helpers to go back to normal by middle of 2007," Brion pointed out.

Brion then noted that the Philippine government is now preparing new and high-end markets for Filipina domestic helpers.

He said negotiation is now underway with the government of Spain for the hiring of Filipina domestic helpers.

"We are also looking for other high-end markets; for those who cannot afford to pay $400, they can get maids from other countries who are willing to accept lesser pay," Brion added.

Meanwhile, more jobs await Filipino workers in South Korea.

This early, various business companies in South Korea have expressed desire to hire about 6,000 factory and other skilled overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2007.