A scholar urged the Macau government to consider including foreign domestic workers in the proposed implementation of a minimum wage for all workers.
Cecilia Ho Wing-yin, a social work lecturer at Macao Polytechnic Institute, said the government should not distinguish between migrant workers and local workers as legislation on minimum wages aimed to protect workers from all walks of life, Macao Daily News reported.
The Macau government began public consultations in November about the proposed implementation of a minimum wage for all workers but domestic workers and disabled employees may be exempted from any statutory provisions.
There were 26,000 domestic workers in Macau as of the third quarter this year, half of them from the Philippines, figures from the statistics bureau showed.
However, their wages varied. Two thousand workers earn less than 3,500 Macau patacas (US$436) a month, while 7,000 workers earn between 3,500 to 4,000 patacas, and half (13,000) earn 4,000 to 5,000 patacas.
Only 1,000 employers were willing to pay 5,000 to 7,000 patacas to hire workers of better quality.
Ho said the government should also protect domestic workers’ rights or else the high-quality workers would leave Macau and work elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Labour Affairs Bureau organized a third public meeting on minimum wages but only around 10 citizens attended, Jornal Va Kio reported.
One citizen worried that implementing minimum wages would add a burden on small companies. But another said domestic workers should be included as they help local families, so they should be better protected.
Ng Wai-lan, the acting labor chief, said the government was collecting opinions from citizens before the implementation of a minimum wage.
Read: Macau’s new minimum wage may not cover maids, disabled
For maid stay in should be like hk 4300 hkd salary and stay out should be 6000 hkd able to pay rent etc…
Thank you for considering the rights of the domestic helpers..They contibutes a big help in this society so it is right to pursue a minimum wage for us..
Kudos to this scholar. You understand the plights of the household helpers who run the house so well. Employers should look at their helper’s hard work and compensate it accordingly. Some helpers get higher salary but their housing allowance is included in it so if their housing expenses will be deducted,they have a low take home pay also. And most of the employers only give 500 patacas for housing not even asking if its enough. Bedspace in Macau range from 800patacas plus bills. So even if they pay their helpers 4000 patacas less bus card and boarding payments the helper can only take home not more than 3000 patacas each month. Implementing a fixed minimum salary for Macau household helpers will mean so much to these hard-working people. And if they will be paid good,they will surely doublw their hard work. They will be more happy to work. They will have more energy knowing their work is compensated. So please,law-makers…look into this issue with more consideration. Hope more local residents will see also into their hearts to support and push for a minimum salary for helpers. ☺
Honestly speaking for both parties employer and employee some employer is just surviving by working run there family and manage to pay helper no matter stay in or stay out …but the wage should be fare enough now a days macau getting expensive if stay in atleast same as hk if stay out minimum should be 6000 so the maid manage to pay rent ,transport, food and bills so it will work for both parties to survive,live and work peacefully….
Strongly recommending law maker’s to think in my way and it’s fare enough don’t fix working hours fix there salaries no matter stay in or stay out
that’s good for all domistic helper …but how about me going 6yrs in my employer my salary is 3600 how come hahahaha….what should i do