"Average salary of 1.8 million won, curfew abolished"...Will it be possible to prevent the Philippine housekeeper from leaving?

Philippine housekeepers to participate in the pilot project of foreign housekeepers / Yonhap News

Philippine housekeepers are expected to receive an average of 1.8 million won in September's salary.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a Philippine housekeeper will receive at least 1.54 million won as a salary for September this month as he is guaranteed at least 30 hours a week. This reflects the five-day Chuseok holiday from September 14 to 18.

As of the 30th of last month, 85 out of 98 workers worked more than 40 hours a week, and even considering the Chuseok holiday, October salaries are expected to average 1.8 million won.

He added that under the Labor Standards Act, you can work up to 52 hours a week and you will receive as much as 2.29 million won because you will receive more than 50/100 of your normal wages for holiday and overtime work.

Earlier, on the 15th of last month, during the Chuseok holiday, two Filipino housekeepers were out of contact at their accommodation and were arrested in Busan on the 4th.

Although the exact reason has not been revealed, it has been observed that they may have been dissatisfied with the delayed payment of education allowances and the lower-than-expected wage level.

In this regard, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor have come up with measures to improve them. First, the manager can choose whether to receive the salary once a month or twice a month. If you choose to pay twice a month, you will receive your salary on the 10th and 20th of every month. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 38 out of 98 Filipino housekeepers said they wanted "double monthly payments."

Other major contents of the improvement plan include minimizing travel distance and time, abolishing the confirmation of returning home at 10 p.m., extending the stay within three years after the end of the pilot project, and strengthening cooperation systems with the Philippine Embassy, such as special training on stay management.

However, there is a limit to preventing the unauthorized departure of house managers who want better pay conditions, so it is unclear whether the project will proceed smoothly in the future.

Reporter Park Sun-young of Digital News Team