Taiwan hikes minimum salaries for household workers

The Ministry of Labor in Taiwan has approved a more than NTD1,000 increase in the minimum salary of the country's foreign household service workers, the Department of Labor and Employment has announced on Thursday.
 
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the salary increase would benefit Filipino household workers in Taiwan as they would now receive a minimum NTD17,000, up from the previous NTD15,840. In pesos, the increase would be from a minimum of P22,500 to P24,270.

As of May 2015, there are more than 25,000 Filipino household workers in Taiwan.

Baldoz said the increase was approved after 18 years.
 
“I welcome this piece of good news from our labor representative to Taiwan. I am sure our household service workers in that country will also welcome this good news. They deserve the pay raise after it has remained stagnant for 18 years,” Baldoz said.
 
The labor secretary said that the increase of NTD1,160 was NTD500 less than what the four sending countries have asked for. She, nonetheless, said the increase was a good start.
 
Atty. Llewelyn Perez, the country's Labor Representative to Taipei, reported that the raise in the salary of household workers was initiated by  the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan.
 
“The agreement came about after exhaustive discussion at the 1st Joint Labor Conference Cooperative Meeting convened by Taiwan and the Resident Representatives and Labor Directors of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand on the issue,” Perez said in a report to Baldoz.
 
Perez said that the salary of household workers remained unchanged for 18 years because of concerns over inflation and the expected burden on employers.
 
“The salary raise will be effective on September 1. On this date, contracts of foreign household service workers will reflect a minimum salary of NTD17,000,” Perez said.

The labor sending countries told Taiwanese authorities about the need to raise the salaries of household workers citing inflation and the 40-percent increase in the cost of living since 1997.

“Fortunately, the Ministry of Labor has seen the need to raise the salary of HSWs for their protection, and so the agreement. We commend the Ministry of Labor and Deputy Minister Hao for agreeing to the pay increase,” Baldoz said. —NB, GMA News 

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