Cyprus hikes pay of domestic helpers

MANILA, Philippines—Some 1,200 Filipino domestic helpers in Cyprus stand to benefit from an increase in minimum wage in the Eastern Mediterranean country, the Department of Labor and Employment has said.

Cyprus increased the minimum salary of household service workers by €27 (US$36) effective 1 January 2011, said DOLE, citing a report from Philippine Overseas Labor Office officer-in-charge Josephine Tobia.

“Because of the minimum wage increase, it is expected that the subsequent employment contracts of (domestic helpers) bound for Cyprus will reflect the net income of not less than €311or US$445 at the prevailing exchange rate of €0.70 per 1 US dollar, after deductions have been made for the workers’ medical and board and lodging expenses,” Tobia said.

With the pay hike, the DOLE said the gross minimum salary of an HSW will go up from €429 (P26,474) to €456 (P28,140) a month.

The raise includes a five-percent increase in the gross amount and the cost of living allowance, covering both existing and new contracts for household workers, she said.

Cyprus, a member of the European Union, has no minimum wage laws. It relies on employer groups and trade unions to set minimum earnings through collective bargaining, the DOLE said.

Records of the DOLE shows that there are some 2,756 documented OFWs in Cyprus from January to November last year, about half (1,296) of whom were household service workers. –INQUIRER.net