Two Philippine workers escape S Korea’s domestic helper programme
South Korea has started a project to hire 100 Philippine domestic workers to help Seoul families. Two reportedly fled from "overwork and overwatch,” only to be found a few weeks later in Busan. Discussions are underway about wage levels and how to extend the programme to the whole country.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Two Philippine women hired as domestic workers under an international programme disappeared on 15 September from their place of employment in Gangnam-gu district, Seoul, but were found recently in Busan.
Last week, an official with the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers, Bernard Olalia, said that the two women felt stressed out by "overwork and overwatch," noting that they were found on 4 October after they found employment as cleaners.
“That was where they were caught, with their new employer. They were brought to the immigration authority in Busan,” Olalia explained.
The two women were taken to a accommodation facility in Yeonje-gu district, South Korean media reported.
Philippine authorities went on to say that in the event of deportation (as the South Korean Ministry of Justice intends to do), the two women will receive the necessary legal and financial assistance from the Philippine government.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government had launched a foreign caregiver pilot project that began in August, modelled after policies already in place in Singapore and Hong Kong.
It was initially designed for six-month test period to be extended, next year, to the whole of South Korea, bringing the number of Philippine workers to 500 in 2025 and a thousand in 2028, to provide low-cost care to families and tackle the country's demographic crisis, deemed a real national emergency.
In agreement with the Philippine government, 100 Filipino women between the ages of 25 and 38 were sent to 169 households (priority was given to dual-income families with several children or in single-parent situations), selected by metropolitan authorities.
The programme has so far been a mixed bag. More than 20 families pulled out, citing issues related to work hours.
Philippine workers, who met with city officials, also highlighted a series of problems, including the obligation of a curfew, which required helpers to return by 10 pm, and long commutes, especially for those who work in more than one home, preventing them from getting back to their accommodations to rest.
Others have asked to be paid twice a month rather than once. In several cases, the payment of training allowance from the government was late.
For many South Korean families, the workers’ wages, contracted at 2.38 million won (US$ 1,800), plus social insurance, are too high for an eight-hour workday.
Given the media income for Korean households in their 30s, couples would have to spend 47 per cent of their income on domestic help.
The established wage level is aligned with this year’s minimum wage, which amounts to over US$ 7 per hour.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and some politicians from the ruling party have openly called for lower wages, clashing with the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, trade unions, and feminist groups.
“Wage levels should be determined based on skills and contributions, in accordance with market principles,” Mayor Oh said.
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