Welcome to BASE21

By Kim Ae-hwa, Memember of the Asia Monitor Resource Center

I was told I could see a lot of Filipino house maids in Hongkong island and Kulong peninsula every Sunday before I visited Hong Kong. I thought the scenery would be similar to Ansan station and Hyehwa-dong area or more migrant workers might move to another place after they have meetings. But what I saw was worse than I thought. According to my friend's word, it was a shocking.
In case of Hong Kong Island, it is easy to see housemaids who sit closely among splendid buildings. Whenever I saw them around the street, I felt sad.
In an off day of a week, they come here with lunch boxes and sit on the newspaper. They spend there through the day. They are not willing to leave even getting dark. Because leaving there means they come back home to work. That is the restrict of freedom. So, they don't leave there even in rainy days.
Under the building, they are talking all day long with playing cards or share newspapers and magazines from home country. With 15-20 HK$, they can go to Mcdonald and can eat fried chicken in KFC.
Differently in Korea, Most of migrant worker in Hong Kong are housemaids. So, they can't stay at home on every Sunday because of tiny home.
They can't imagine to have private space at the small house, only 25-30 pyong while most of migrant worker in Korea have their private space separated from working places. Migrant workers in Hongkong, the outside is their private place such as public park or street. A colleague of office has ever made a joke. She is aware of Sunday by seeing the person's change of next door through the window of kitchen. In other words, she can see a Filipino woman through the window, the day when she can't see her is Sunday.
They see sky through the window. They live with their employer but they was treated coldly. When I was first time in Hongkong, I stayed a family's house where a housemaid was working. I had never seen the family members talked with her while I was staying there for several days. They didn't violate human right but their attitude showed how they look down her.
Singapore which has similar economic situation gave a guide for the recovery of dull market. The guide is : cutting wages of public official and the money could make up less welfare fund. After the announcement, most of Hongkong people worried that Hongkong gov. would announce similar guide Hong Kong gov. appealed cutting wages of public official should not be the proper measure. However, Hong Kong gov. will take cutting wages of not only public official but also migrant workers who are suffering with poor condition.
The wages of migrant worker was cut 5% yet by cut minimum wages from 3,860 to 3,670 in 1999. In spite of that, the association of employers are willing to back wages to status of 1991. Before the year of 1999, the wages of Indonesian and Thai labor was 2000 - 2500 HK$ while the wages of Filipino was 2500-2500HK$.
Cutting wages policy and other policies against migrant worker has made them miserable. According to their guide, The quota of housemaid will be decreased from 230,000 to 100,000 and the contract of housemaid who don't enter the house will be canceled.
This measure is lying at Legco(legislative council). Besides this, groundless proposals against migrant worker had appealed continually.

A lawmaker insisted 20% tax would be imposed to migrant worker because they used the park and public space. He didn't know that the wages of migrant worker was under the standard of tax free.
Moreover, there was the proposal about deprive migrant worker of the right of maternal protect.
Of course. these proposals was denied instantly by strong repulsion Hong Kong don't have minimum wages system to apply to local people. Hong Kong Confedration of Trade Unions had proposed but was refused because the gov. worried the minimum wages led to increase of migrant worker's wages. The minimum wages system is applied to only housemaid.
As the third world's labor, minimum wages means maximum wages. According to the statistics of Immigration, the number of migrant worker is 202,900 and Filipino is 72%. In fact, 60% of Filipino housemaid get the wages under minimum wages and don't have a day off of a week.
However, housemaids from other countries are suffering worse condition. For example, 90% of Indonesian labor get wages under minimum wages. Most of housemaid who know about minimum wages are forced to keep quiet because of worry about annulment of contract and inhuman attitude of Hong Kong gov. They ask the responsibility of violation of minimum wages to not only the employer but also the employee.
Their minimum wages are 3,670 HK$. Hong Kong housemaids get 60HK$ per hour. They work over 14 hours in a day.
So, it calculate like this, 60X14X26=21,840. As you see, their current wages are awfully low. Although they are offered foods and room, it is needed increase of wages. But the Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers' Association insist that cutting wages is still possible because their home currency are depreciate. Actually, the value of Philippine Peso fell from 40 to 50 against dollar. In spite of this fact, their insistence is the lack of moral sense.
Most of housemaid remit money to their home. The remittance should not be the shackle and the employer must not concern the use of employee's money. In addition to, they should admit migrant worker are also spending their wages in Hong Kong. In contrary, will they increase wages if migrant worker don't remit any longer?

Hong Kong gov. mention the loses of job market for local people by migrant worker. But Hong Kong Domestic Workers' General Union which has 750 members also criticizes gov.'s insist. In other words, the job market of Hong Kong labor is different from migrant worker's. Local housemaid don't want to be a resident maid and want to work as prat time.

So, migrant housemaid works the house where local maid is unwilling to work in. Hong Kong Domestic Workers' General Union has a view that the quota system and cutting wages is going to lead their wages's cutting. Hong Kong gov. insist that breaking off a contract about non-resident maid and paying a penalty will protect the market of local people. But the report by Hong Kong gov. shows their insistence has no reasonable ground of believing.
According to the report, 87.9% of the families who hire housemaid hire migrant housemaid. The rate of housemaid between local people and migrant worker is 1:7. Why they choose migrant worker is low cost and local maid is chosen because of communication and part time. This report shows these job markets are separated totally. So, non-resident foreign maid don't effect the job market of local maid. And most of housemaid are not offered suitable private room, they share room with children or sleep in the living room. In this condition, pushing to work as resident maid is plunge into 24 hours working.
On the contrary, government and the association of employer aggravate separation and racial prejudice between housemaids. These can link to sex discrimination.
Intensively, housemaid is called domestic helper instead of domestic worker. They think domestic work as a assistant. This thought is the matter not only applicable to domestic worker but also old fashioned thought about woman's domestic work.

In 1998, as soon as economic crisis had started, the association of employer insisted the cutting 35%. However, the cutting was just 5% by the struggle of Hongkong Union and migrant worker. The association of employer is insisting cutting 5% again. There was a protest against cutting wages of migrant worker with Ho Kong Union members in Dec. 16. On the contrary, the association of Employer researched willingly and they insisted 60% answers agreed to cutting.
However, one matter should be solved before cutting wages. That is about agent fee. When migrant workers want to take recontract, they need agent's sign. The fee is different in each nationality, For example, a migrant workers from South East Asia paid 5000% of first wages while indonesian paid 5,650 HK$. Actually, agent fee is 10% of first wages by the law.
In case of Taiwan, there are 329,312 migrant workers. Their minimum wages NT$15,840(HK$4,800). But gov. passed the bill which foods and housing fee are excluded in their wages. and the restriction of the number of migrant worker has atarted. 15,000 will be decreased in every year.
In case of Korea, it is possible that employers are willing to make the minimum wages which is only applied to migrant workers. It should be worse. So, we need to educate and active organization to prevent their willing.