Domestic workers

DOHA: Pilipina domestics have been hot favourites of Qatari households for decades. There have occasionally been talks of exploitation of these hapless workers — like their counterparts from other countries — in Qatari as well as expatriate homes, but there have also been reports of how many of them were pampered by their employers and…

MANILA, Philippines — The bicameral conference committee has finally decided to fix the monthly minimum wage for household helpers to P2,500, paving the way for its immediate enactment into law, Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estraday yesterday said.

Sitting on a picnic blanket in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park with fellow Indonesian domestic workers on a Sunday in October, 34-year-old Arida is holding back tears. Moneylenders have demanded she turn over almost all her HK$3,740 ($483) monthly salary to pay debts totaling more than $5,000 that she incurred finding a job, she says. When…

ABU DHABI // Appeals for Filipino domestic staff in the UAE to be paid the minimum wage required by their government are being ignored. Recruitment agencies say that even if they sign deals agreeing to the minimum wage, it is employers, not agents, who pay the salaries. And many employers say the US$400 (Dh1,470) a…

Filipino household workers in the Emirate of Dubai will soon receive a minimum salary of US$400 a month, according to the Department of Labor and Employment. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz made the annnouncement after the signing of a joint statement of commitment between Philippine licensed recruitment agencies and their counterparts in Dubai.

Demand for construction workers was expected to remain strong over the next two to three years, estimated at 280,000, up from 250,000 in 2011. SINGAPORE: The demand for foreign workers is projected to increase significantly in Singapore by 2030 with the rise coming primarily from the health, household and construction sectors.

Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan inaugurates a clinic for the welfare of Pakistani expatriates in Alkhobar on Saturday. (AN photo by Imran Haider)(MENAFN – Arab News) Philippine authorities are still reluctant to implement the new contract agreements signed with Saudi Arabia to supply domestic workers.

“Mabel,” the domestic helper who is alleging that Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Shulan Primavera molested her, had actually sought the government’s help after being abused by a Kuwaiti employer. She was among hundreds of runaway Filipino maids who have sought refuge in Philippine embassies and other overseas facilities.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines should take the lead in ensuring greater protection for domestic workers abroad as abuses against them continue despite their large presence across the globe.

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong are getting a salary raise and other additional benefits, according to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. Baldoz, in a report early this week, said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is increasing the monthly minimum allowable wage (MAW) of foreign household service workers by HK$180, or 4.8 percent, and…

An important amount of domestic workers in Europe do not receive the same legal protection as other workers. Although there has been significant legislative progress in this direction, this working activity is quiet often not considered as a real work.

MANILA, Philippines – The International Labor Organization (ILO) said domestic workers in rich European capitals still suffer from abuses and discrimination despite existing labor laws that respect their rights as many of them are undocumented. An ILO analysis on the situation of domestic workers in Europe showed that despite clear domestic labor laws, European governments…

The Labor Department reported on Monday that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region had agreed to increase the monthly minimum allowable wages of foreign household service workers, including Filipino domestic helpers.

THE International Labor Organization (ILO) said domestic workers in rich European capitals still suffer from abuses and discrimination despite existing labor laws that respect their rights because many of them are undocumented.

No Filipino household workers have been deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the lifting of the ban imposed by KSA last year on Filipino and Indonesian household workers, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) said.

Many domestic workers in Europe do not enjoy as much legal protection as other workers. ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers – which will come into force in a year’s time – offers a chance to improve the lives of the millions of people who work in this profession.

MANILA, Philippines — A forum on migration hosted by the Philippines has resolved to use International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 189 in identifying gaps in existing government policies, programs and structures in order to improve the protection of domestic workers.

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia will begin accepting applications for domestic workers from the Philippines on Monday after the two governments resolved a row over minimum pay that had prompted a ban, state media said.

Saudi Arabia has agreed to lift its ban on Filipino maids after agreeing to a $400 monthly minimum wage, it has been reported. Philippine vice president Jejomar Binay, who oversees the welfare of Filipino overseas workers, said in a statement that the Gulf kingdom will lift the ban which was imposed in June 2011.

DoLE sees fewer abuse cases MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) expects fewer cases of abuse against Filipino maids following the Saudi Arabian government’s decision to lift the ban on the hiring of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) beginning October 1.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz looks forward to the entry into force of International Labor Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention to give safer work conditions to an estimated 2.5 million Filipino domestic workers overseas.

MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed on final reading a bill seeking to guarantee the rights and benefits of household workers in the Philippines.

The ILO’s Convention on Domestic Workers has now been ratified by two countries, meaning it will come into effect in a year’s time. The Convention extends basic labour rights to tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide.

The Philippine government is hoping that no Filipino domestic worker will be abused by 2016, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz told GMA News Online on Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines—The government is seriously considering a plan to end the deployment of Filipino domestic helpers abroad over a period of five years.

The Senate’s ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention will bring the treaty into legal force, promising better working conditions and key labor protections for millions of domestic workers, a global rights body said.

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The Senate approved yesterday the resolution which concurs in the ratification of an international treaty providing legal protection for Filipino domestic workers and to ensure them decent wages and benefits.

Manila, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) sees the Senate’s ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention as a milestone for over two million Filipino domestic workers here and abroad as they join the ranks of formal workers.

The Philippines Senate on Monday concurred with the ratification of International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Philippine labor secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that the Senate’s ratification was “historic” as it placed the Philippines at the forefront of the global efforts to promote decent and productive work for household service…

Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said on Wednesday that he expects Congress to fine tune the provisions of the proposed Kasambahay Act to make it congruent to the standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 189.