"A System Unsatisfactory for Both Users and Workers"
"Minimum Wage System Has No Exceptions by Industry or Region," Criticized
Na Kyung-won, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the nationwide implementation plan of the Philippine domestic worker pilot project as a "predicted failure."
People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are conversing at the seminar titled "Filipino Domestic Workers' Wages: Issues and Solutions." Photo by Yonhap News.
On the 15th, Na said on her Facebook, "Philippine domestic workers are difficult to access except for some high-income earners due to high wages, and their job classification is not as house helpers but as care givers, so they cannot be assigned to other household chores besides childcare, making it an unsatisfactory system for consumers and ending in failure." She also added, "The Korean model was not satisfactory even for the Philippine domestic workers. This is because the cost of living in Korea is high," evaluating the policy as unsatisfactory for both service workers and users.
She posed the question, "Is it impossible for us to have a foreign worker system where both consumers and workers win, like the domestic childcare helpers in Hong Kong and Singapore or the caregiver system in Taiwan?" and pointed out, "We have no exceptions to the minimum wage system. There can be no exceptions by industry or region."
She further stated, "Since we are a party to ILO Convention No. 111 (Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation), we cannot apply different minimum wages to foreigners than to nationals," and argued, "We need to start discussions on withdrawing from ILO Convention 111." She noted that Singapore and Hong Kong either do not have a minimum wage system or are not parties to the ILO convention.
A Filipino domestic worker is taking care of a child in an apartment in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, Seoul.
She also emphasized the urgent need for measures to prepare for an aging society. "As society ages, the demand for caregivers is rapidly increasing, but currently, there is a severe shortage and the costs are not affordable," and said, "We need an era of 990,000 won domestic workers and caregivers." She suggested that from converting room and board into wages to applying differentiated minimum wages, the system should be calmly designed.
The Philippine domestic worker pilot project, jointly promoted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and Seoul City, has been extended for one year. Although there was a plan to proceed with a nationwide main project in the first half of this year after the pilot project, the extension of the pilot project was chosen. Currently, there are many issues to discuss, such as wage system adjustments, and various related ministries including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Committee on Population, Aging Society and Future Generations, and the Ministry of Justice are involved, making it difficult to negotiate the main project. It is also undecided when the related consultations can be concluded. The usage price was decided to increase by 2,860 won per hour to 16,800 won. This reflects the increased minimum wage, monthly accrued severance pay, and the operating costs of employment consignment companies previously borne by Seoul City.
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