No helpers for hire in tug of war over placement fee

Domestic staff agencies here and in the Philippines are in a tug of war over plans to charge Hongkongers a HK$5,400 placement fee when they employ a Filipino helper.

The Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (Sharp) stopped sending domestic helpers to the city on February 27, fuelling a shortage of domestic helpers.

The move came after the society tried in vain to persuade the Manila government to remove a ban on charging helpers a placement fee of a month's salary plus airfare.

Now, Sharp has changed tactics, diverting pressure from the Manila government and the helpers and instead demanding Hong Kong employers pay the placement fee instead

"We feel that the Hong Kong people can very well afford it," said Alfredo Palmiery, president of Sharp, a 60-member organisation that provides 63 per cent of all Filipinos sent to the city as helpers.

"We are losing income because of the moratorium. We are suffering. But we are willing to make this sacrifice," said Palmiery.

He said that employers in other countries such as Malaysia and Singapore are already paying a placement fee.