Domestic worker union hits back over employer group’s pay freeze petition

A Hong Kong union for migrant domestic workers has strongly refuted calls from employer groups for a wage freeze, advocating instead for enhanced worker protections.

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wage increases of about 2 per cent have “never been enough to keep up with inflation… In effect, migrant domestic workers’ real wages have been decreasing for many years.”

The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions (FADWU) stated that the approximate 2% annual wage increases have consistently failed to match inflation, which is expected to reach 2.6% this year. This means migrant domestic workers have seen their real wages decline over several years. The union questioned the justification for a pay freeze under these circumstances.

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This year the inflation rate is expected to be 2.6 per cent. People should justify in an objective manner how a wage freeze is reasonable.

Employer groups, including the International Domestic Service Industry Development Federation and the Quadripartite Alliance for Harmonious Employment Practices (QAHEP), had petitioned for a wage freeze and to keep the monthly food allowance at HK$1,236 frozen for a second consecutive year. They argued that domestic worker minimum wage increases of 7.8% over the past three years have outpaced a 5.4% rise in Hong Kong's composite Consumer Price Index during the same period.

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97 per cent of employers were “strongly opposed” to pay rises for their domestic workers.

FADWU also highlighted instances where low-income families exploit domestic workers through underpayment or by failing to provide adequate food or accommodation, despite Hong Kong's requirement for employers to meet a minimum monthly family income of HK$15,000. The union urged the government to review this income eligibility criterion and increase social service support, potentially through subsidies, for families needing to hire domestic workers.

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The care needs of low-income families who have not received government social service support cannot be achieved by abusing workers. They are forced to exploit domestic workers to meet these needs due to their own limited resources.