Eman Villanueva speaks to RTHK's Maggie Ho
The minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers will go up by 2.4 percent, from HK$4,110 to HK$4,210 per month. The food allowance, paid by employers who don’t provide their helpers with free food, will also increase by HK$31, from HK$964 to HK$995 per month.
The new levels will apply to all contracts signed on or after October 1. Employers can choose to provide foreign domestic helpers with better terms than the mandatory minimum allowable wage and food allowance.
The government said it regularly reviews the wage and allowance levels, and had taken into account Hong Kong's economic outlook and the need to strike a balance between affordability for employers and the livelihood of foreign domestic helpers.
The adjusted wage and allowance however fall short of demands made recently by groups representing foreign domestic helpers.
Earlier this month, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body urged the government to raise the minimum wage to HK$4,500 a month, and the food allowance to HK$1,600 a month.
A spokesman for the body, Eman Villanueva, said he was disappointed with the increase, and said they had been hoping for something more significant and substantial.
The new levels will apply to all contracts signed on or after October 1. Employers can choose to provide foreign domestic helpers with better terms than the mandatory minimum allowable wage and food allowance.
The government said it regularly reviews the wage and allowance levels, and had taken into account Hong Kong's economic outlook and the need to strike a balance between affordability for employers and the livelihood of foreign domestic helpers.
The adjusted wage and allowance however fall short of demands made recently by groups representing foreign domestic helpers.
Earlier this month, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body urged the government to raise the minimum wage to HK$4,500 a month, and the food allowance to HK$1,600 a month.
A spokesman for the body, Eman Villanueva, said he was disappointed with the increase, and said they had been hoping for something more significant and substantial.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1214549-20150930.htm
