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Sunday, March 09, 2003
RP to sue HK over Pinay maids wage cut
MANILA -- The Philippines will sue the Hong Kong government in Hong Kong courts over the wage cuts imposed on Filipina domestic workers, President Arroyo said Saturday on the occasion of the International Women's Day celebration in Marikina City.
Mrs. Arroyo also urged critics against the government's moves to temporarily stop the deployment of domestic helpers to Hong Kong to give her more room to decide on the matter. The boycott might still work, she added.
Domestic helpers in Hong Kong also called on the president to fire Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas for implementing a ban on Pinay maids in Hong Kong reportedly causing "anxiety and confusion."
She said she would not take sitting down a perceived unjust slash in the minimum pay of foreign workers in Hong Kong.
"We will not only bring our case to the ILO (International Labor Organization), but also to the Hong Kong courts themselves. We will sue the Hong Kong government in the Hong Kong courts," Arroyo said in a speech marking international women's day.
She said the move could prove effective, remarking that "sometimes, the Hong Kong government loses cases in court."
Arroyo did not say on what basis her government would file the case against the Hong Kong government.
The President sought for more time to work on countless positive ways to decide on the issues besetting the welfare of domestic helpers in the former British colony.
She cited reports that neighboring Asian nations and government groups in Hong Kong have been pushing for the suspension of a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) decision to slash the minimum wage for foreign workers.
"Many of our domestic helpers in Hong Kong expressed support for this move. But many have also asked to lift the suspension of the deployment of domestic helpers to Hong Kong. Kaya malaking desisyon ang kailangan ko (I need to work on a major decision on the matter)," she stressed.
She noted that even Indonesia, which also deploys domestic workers to the former crown colony, had opposed the move of the Hong Kong SAR to impose a levy on new foreign labor.
"At sa Abril, baka ang Sri Lanka ay sasama sa boykot (And by April, Sri Lanka might stop deploying their workers to Hong Kong)," she added.
The President also informed her all-female audience "employers in Hong Kong are giving in and joining the domestic helpers" and they are organizing a signature campaign in favor of maintaining the present level of wages.
"The People's Opportunities Commission is speaking against the levy, a recognition that a levy, however disguised, is unfair and discriminatory," she said.
"Kaya duon sa mga tumututol sa suspension, bigyan pa ninyo ako ng kaunti pang pisi, dahil baka umubra ito (I am asking those against our moves to temporarily stop the deployment of domestic helpers to Hong Kong to give me more room to decide on the matter. The boycott might still work)," she added.
The Philippines has Indonesia and Sri Lanka on its side. Foreign domestic helpers also have the sympathy of Hong Kong employers and non-government groups.
"But even if I should need to lift the suspension, and that is still something that I have to make a decision about, I can assure you that we will intensify our lobby to protect the rights of our overseas Filipinas," the President said.
To alleviate the present situation of Hong Kong domestic helpers, the President ordered Secretary Sto. Tomas "to study how to reduce what our overseas domestic helpers pay their recruiters to make up, at least partially, for the levy that will be imposed for those who will be hired (in Hong Kong) this April."
Arroyo on Wednesday had barred the sending of Philippine maids to Hong Kong after the territory ignored her appeals not to impose the wage cuts.
Some organizations have assailed Arroyo's ban on the deployment of maids, saying it will only worsen their plight.
One group, United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL) blasted the declaration for causing "anxiety and confusion" among those maids who were currently having their contracts processed or renewing contracts in the next few weeks.
"The anxiety that President Arroyo's announcement made is unpardonable. We even got a call from a migrant who was already in the Philippine airport and was being stopped from going to Hong Kong," said Connie Bragas-Regalado, a UNIFIL spokeswoman.
Labor Secretary Santo Tomas suggested Thursday the ban could be lifted after two months.
However, Bragas-Regalado demanded the ban be lifted immediately. "The ban, even if temporary is a heavy burden for overseas foreign workers who have no job opportunities in the Philippines. This lame threat to the Hong Kong government has boomeranged instead to the migrant workers here.
"And it is because of the ill advice and false bravado of Santo Tomas... Santo Tomas is responsible for this harmful policy. For her consistent anti-migrant and anti-worker performance in her office, her head must roll."
"If any ban needs to be imposed, it must be on Tomas -- a permanent ban from holding any public office."
UNIFIL demanded on Saturday that Arroyo sack her Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas for endorsing the ban.
However Arroyo reiterated that she favored the ban, urging, "those who oppose the suspension, give me more time."
In a move to reduce its budget deficit, Hong Kong has announced that a maid's minimum wage is to be reduced by 400 Hong Kong dollars (51 US dollars) a month to 3,270 dollars a month (420 US dollars) for employment contracts signed on or after April 1.
The wage cut effectively offsets a levy of 400 dollars (51 US dollars) a month, which private employers of foreign household help in Hong Kong will have to pay from October 1.
To oppose the wage cut, Filipino consul general in Hong Kong, Victoria Bataclan, has been instructed to talk to her counterparts from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to join forces on the issue.
Indonesia and the Philippines provide the bulk of the 240,000-strong foreign domestic work force in Hong Kong.
Indonesia is already enforcing an unrelated temporary ban on sending maids, babysitters and care attendants to a number of markets including Hong Kong.
Government records show close to 2,000 Filipinas leave the country every month to work as maids in other countries.(Sunnex/AFP)
(March 9, 2003 issue)
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