Many Filipino maids in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are still getting salaries lower than the minimum wage, a report of the news site Emirates 24/7 said.
The report quoted Joana, a Filipina maid as saying she knows she is entitled to a higher wage but chose to accept a lower offer because she had to gain experience.
She intends to go back to the Philippines once her contract ends and later return to the UAE but would demand a proper salary.
Emirates 24/7 said the minimum wage for Filipino housemaids in Dubai should be $400 (roughly Php 16,600).
However, a lot of agencies are offering OFW housemaid services for a mere Dh 900 (roughly P10,000) per month.
This is far less from what has been officially set by the Consulates for OFW maids coming to work in the UAE.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Embassy in the UAE said the rights of OFWs should be protected even after they get employed.
“The obligation of a licensed recruitment agency to its hired OFWs does not end upon their deployment to the worksite,” the DOLE said in a news release.
“The recruitment agency has the continuous obligation to ensure protection of workers, especially domestic workers,” the DOLE added.
Agencies that are reportedly offering less than the minimum wage are located in Deira, Garhoud and Hor al Anz.
In these areas, the maids’ salaries reportedly range from Dh900 to Dh1100 (roughly P10,000 to P12,500).
Meanwhile, even the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) is warning the agencies who are violating the minimum wage.
An executive of one of these recruitment agencies said, “We have Filipinas for Dh900 per month. The agency fee is Dh8,500 which includes the cost of a one-way ticket. The visa cost will be borne by you.”
There are 636,154 Filipinos in the UAE, based on the 2010 Stock Estimate of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. – VVP, GMA News
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