Asian Migrants Protest March for FDH Wage Increase to HK$ 4,500.00
HKPTV Video Team | September 14, 2015
Hong Kong migrants led by the Asian Migrant Coordinating Body (AMCB) and allied organizations held a huge protest march action to the Hong Kong Labour Department demanding for wage increase to HK$4,500.00 and raising of food allowance to HK$1,600.00.
The group met with the Labour Department earlier last week regarding their demands. The official announcement by the HK government regarding this issue is expected before the end of September.
Editor’s note: Below is the offical statement of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB)
Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB)
13 September 2015
HK$4,500 wage and HK$1,600 food allowance are just and reasonable calls
We urge the Hong Kong government to respond to our just and reasonable call for an increase in our Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW) to HK$4,500 and food allowance to HK$1,600.
These were our demands last year but were denied by the authorities. We hope that this year will be different.
We ask the Hong Kong government to consider the fact that we foreign domestic workers (FDWs) also shoulder the effects of the high inflation rate, recorded at 3.1% in June 2015, resulting to the increase in consumer prices in Hong Kong. With the rising cost of living, we will not be able to cover our needs to live and work in Hong Kong.
It is unjust that the current HK$4,110 MAW reflects a mere 6.8% increase equivalent to $14 a year since 1998. If translated to hourly rate, FDWs earn only HK$11 (for those who work for 12 hours a day) and HK$8 (for those who work for 16 hours), which is extremely low.
HK workers’ wages have increased by 16% since 2011 with an hourly rate of $32.50 starting last May 2015. FDWs work for an average of 16 hours a day and are 24 hours on-call compared to 10 hours for local workers and yet we only get roughly half of what a Hong Kong worker should get.
We lament that our contribution to the development of the local economy remains unrecognized despite the economic recovery of Hong Kong. From the first quarter of 2015, HK’s economy expanded by 2.1 % year-on-year in real terms, moderated from 2.5 % in 2014. For 2015 as a whole, the economy is forecasted to improve by 1-3%. However, the growing economy has had little or no effect in giving FDWs substantial increase on wage and food allowance.
The current food allowance of $964 amount breaks down to just 32 dollars per day, which is statistically impossible for anyone in HK to get decently fed.
According to a research conducted by Oxfam HK, each person needs HK$1,632 per month to maintain a nutritional diet. Thus, we urge the HK government to raise FDWs food allowance to $1,600 to protect us from hunger, keep us healthy, and send a positive message to the HK public that FDWs also have the right to sufficient food and a healthy diet.
Lastly, we call on the Hong Kong government to include live-in domestic workers in the Minimum Wage Ordinance. From the Mandatory Provident Fund to the Minimum Wages Ordinance, foreign domestic workers have always been excluded from proper Labour protection. The wage of FDWs is decided by a mechanism without transparency and objective standard.
Migrant workers are workers. Domestic work is work. We strongly demand the Hong Kong government to recognize this, not only in words, but more importantly in deeds.#
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Members:
Association of Sri Lankans in Hong Kong (ASL-HK)
Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Hong Kong (ATKI-HK)
Far-East Overseas Nepalese Association – Hong Kong (FEONA-HK)
Filipino Migrant Workers’ Union (FMWU-HKCTU)
Friends of Thai – Hong Kong (FOT-HK)
Indonesian Migrants Muslim Alliance (GAMMI)
Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union (IMWU)
League of Indonesian Migrant Workers (LiPMI)
Overseas Nepali Workers’ Union (ONWU)
Thai Regional Alliance (TRA-HK)
United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK)
United Indonesians Against Overcharging (PILAR)