Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong facing more expenses as new law forces them to make social security contributions back home
● New law in Philippines means overseas workers will have to pay equivalent of about HK$350 a month in social security contributions
● A Filipino representative group in the city has decried the law, saying it will push domestic helpers further into debt
Hong Kong’s Filipino domestic workers have been hit with another mandatory fee by their home government, a week after vowing to fight against a plan to make domestic helpers take out insurance costing HK$1,200 (US$153) before heading abroad.
Under a bill passed last week by the Philippine legislature, the helpers would be required to pay about 2,400 Philippine pesos, or about HK$350 a month, for social insurance that provides retirement and health benefits through the country’s Social Security System (SSS) from next year. The amount is equivalent to 8 per cent of a helper’s wage of HK$4,520 a month.
Last week, Filipino workers’ groups in Hong Kong vowed to fight tooth and nail against a plan by Manila’s Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to make domestic helpers take out insurance.
