Pinay maids must justify higher wages, says envoy

MANILA, Philippines - They may command higher wages, but Filipino "super-maids" need to show their employers they deserve the adjusted pay rates, a Philippine envoy to Malaysia admitted Monday. Malaysian online news site Daily Star reported that Philippine ambassador Victoriano Lecaros urged Filipino domestic helpers in Malaysia to do more than just simple chores. "US$400 may be cheap in Europe and North America, but that is not the case here in Malaysia. A one size-fits-all solution may not have been the best (in standardizing the minimum wage worldwide)," Lecaros said. The report said there are about 30,000 Filipinos living and working the peninsula, with an estimated 20,000 of them working as domestic helpers. Lecaros urged Filipino domestic helpers here to do more than just simple chores like cooking and cleaning. For $400, he said, the helpers should be able to do much more as many of them are college-educated and can handle tasks such as tutoring schoolchildren. Also, he added, Pinoy domestic workers should also be good enough to handle specialized tasks like caring for the aged. Lecaros said recruitment agencies should also ensure that domestic workers are well-trained for varied tasks before dispatching them in Malaysia. Filipino maids are being paid $400 up from $200 following the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)'s decision in October 2006 to standardize the minimum salary of Filipino household workers. Malaysian employment agencies described the increase as too high and unrealistic. In Malaysia, employment agencies here have to sign and stamp contracts with the Philippine Embassy for every Filipino domestic worker brought in. The contracts also state that the Filipino maid is entitled to a rest day every Sunday. An employer who declined to be named said she only paid a RM400 salary for the Filipino maid she hired about 20 years ago, adding that the present rate was "not right." "I wouldn't say that in terms of ability, they are that much better than Indonesian maids. The only advantage is that they speak English," she said. She said although she could afford to hire a Filipino maid at the present rate, she preferred to stick with her Indonesian domestic helper "who did the same chores for a much lower salary." Indonesian maids in Malaysia are paid RM400, one-third the salary of their Filipino counterparts. - GMANews.TV