DOLE: Cyprus hikes pay of domestic helpers

More than 1,200 Filipino household workers in Cyprus stand to benefit from an increase in their minimum wages, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Thursday. The DOLE cited a report from Josephine Tobia, Cyprus Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Officer-in-Charge, that the minimum wage for household service workers (HSW) was hiked by €27 (US$36 or P1,666). "Because of the minimum wage increase, it is expected that the subsequent employment contracts of HSWs bound for Cyprus will reflect the net income of not less than €311 or US$445 (P19,192) at the prevailing exchange rate of €0.70 per 1 US dollar, after deductions have been made for the workers' medical and board and lodging expenses," Tobia’s report said. Excerpts of the report were posted Thursday evening on the DOLE website. Tobia said the pay hike will be retroactively effective January 1 this year. With the pay raise, the DOLE said the gross minimum salary of an HSW will go up from €429 (P26,474) to €456 (P28,140) a month. Tobia added that the raise includes a five-percent increase in the gross amount and the cost of living allowance, covering both existing and new contracts for household workers. Cyprus is a member of the European Union, but it has no minimum wage laws. It relies on employer groups and trade unions to set minimum earnings through collective bargaining instead, the DOLE said. The DOLE said there were some 2,756 documented OFWs in Cyprus from January to November last year, about half (1,296) of whom were HSWs.—JMA/JV, GMA News