Senate OKs higher wages for house helpers

MANILA, Philippines—A bill that will provide a higher minimum wage and additional benefits for house helpers, or “kasambahays,” has been approved on third and final reading in the Senate.

Senate Bill No. 78, otherwise known as the “Act of Providing for Additional Benefits and Protection to House Helpers,” filed by Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, was approved on Monday, a move that earned immediately praise from Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

Enrile said it was “high time that “kasambahays” are given the recognition that they duly deserve.

“All human beings, no matter their station in life, should be accorded full dignity and guaranteed full respect for human rights,” he said in a statement.

“Most house helpers endure abuse in the hands of their employers. This bill not only ensures the rights of our helpers, but will also protect them from being maltreated,” he added.

The bill, if passed into law, would require employers to pay a minimum wage of P2,500 to house helpers within Metro Manila; P2, 000 for those in chartered cities and first-class municipalities; and P1,500 for those working in third-class municipalities.

Under the existing Labor Code, domestic helpers in the National Capital Region get a minimum wage of only P800.

Aside from a higher minimum wage, Estrada’s bill also mandates employers to shoulder the premiums for their house helpers’ benefits in the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG, and the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC).

Employers, under the bill, will also be required to provide house helpers with adequate food, suitable living conditions, and “first-aid medicines and equipment as the nature and conditions of their domestic work may require.”

A mandatory contract between employer and employee, written in a language or dialect understood by both, and not exceeding two years, is also contained in the proposed legislation.

“Having a contract will ensure that employers will comply with standard wages and benefits,” said Estrada.

“Under the bill, employers will be required to outline the house helpers’ duties and responsibilities as well as their working hours and rest days,” he pointed out.

Employers, the senator said, will also be required to provide their “kasambahays” with a pay slip, containing the amount paid in cash by the employer. Copies of the pay slip will be kept by the employers for at least three days, he explained.

“Any employer who violates these provisions shall be punished under existing penal laws without prejudice to civil and administrative cases, which may be filed against him/her,” said Estrada.

Estrada said about two million domestic workers will benefit if this bill is passed into law. –Maila Ager, INQUIRER.net