Filipino workers participating in the pilot program for foreign domestic workers pose in Manila before departing for Korea. Photo via Korea Times
By Times
When asked about her expected duties, Mary (a pseudonym), a participant in Korea's pilot program for Filipino domestic workers, said that she was told her role would involve "taking care of expectant mothers or children in households."
Another participant, Belle (a pseudonym), also said, "My main job is caregiving, and I understand that I will only assist with household chores related to caregiving when necessary."
This perspective differs from the traditional role of "domestic workers" in Korea, who often take on multiple responsibilities, such as caring for children while also preparing meals for other family members or housecleaning. This could signal potential conflicts over the scope of duties in the future.
The Hankook Ilbo reached out to about 10 of the 100 Filipino domestic workers who were selected for the program on June 21. Some declined to comment, and others who initially agreed later withdrew due to concerns related to their employment status.
Mary and Belle also expressed worries after the interview, fearing possible repercussions, so pseudonyms were used to protect their identities. The interviews were conducted via social media messages before the workers arrived in Korea last month.
On Tuesday, 100 Filipino domestic workers in their 20s and 30s arrived in Korea and are currently undergoing training in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. They will be dispatched to households in Seoul next month, but controversies over unclear job descriptions persist.
According to guidelines from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the primary duty of these workers is "caregiving."
This includes dressing and bathing children, preparing baby food and cooking meals for pregnant women. Mary and Belle, like other participants, understood these as their main responsibilities.
In addition to caregiving, they may also perform some household tasks. For example, if they work more than six hours, they may be asked to do laundry for adults, wash adults' dishes and clean floors with a vacuum or mop.
However, tasks such as trash disposal, cooking meals for adults and organizing storage are not permitted.
While they can perform incidental household chores related to child care, the definition of what constitutes child care-related duties could lead to disputes.
Opinions among the workers themselves also vary. Mary said, "I don't think it's possible to draw a clear line between tasks," adding that she's OK with doing household chores, considering them part of the job.
On the other hand, Belle expressed concerns, saying, "It won't be easy to refuse work instructions," but she also emphasized, "I hope people understand that we're not housemaids but caregivers."
The Filipino workers were selected based on strict criteria, including possession of a government-certified caregiver license (with over 780 hours of training), language proficiency in English and Korean and a clean criminal record.
One of the reasons Mary came to Korea was financial. "I earned 22,000 pesos (about 520,000 won) a month working for a company," she said. She supplemented this income with a second job, earning an additional 400,000 won per month.
Considering that the average monthly wage in the Philippines is 18,423 pesos (about 440,000 won as of 2022), this was not a small amount.
However, as her children grew up, the need for more money increased. She eventually looked to overseas work, which offered higher pay.
"I will miss my family, but I made this decision to provide them with a better future and a more comfortable life," she said.
Belle, who also worked in the education sector, earned 30,000 pesos (about 710,000 won) a month by working day and night, but it wasn't enough to support her large family. To earn more, she obtained a caregiving license and sought overseas employment.
Their goal is to send at least one-third of their earnings in Korea back to their families in the Philippines.
"I heard that the monthly salary in Korea is about 2 million won. The minimum work requirement is 30 hours a week, but I don't mind working more. I want to earn as much as possible," Belle said.
These workers are entitled to the same minimum wage as Korean citizens. Based on this year's wage (9,860 won per hour), they will earn 1.19 million won per month for working four hours a day, five days a week, or 2.38 million won for eight hours a day.
This is more than they would earn in Singapore or Hong Kong, where the monthly salary ranges from 500,000 won to 800,000 won.
When asked if the minimum wage policy influenced her decision to come to Korea, Mary said, "I knew Korea had a minimum wage," but added, "More than that, I was interested in Korean culture and wanted to experience living in Korea."
Both Mary and Belle shared that their short-term goal is to find good employers, while their long-term goal is to return home healthy, with diverse experiences and happy memories from their time in Korea.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times.
在韓國的菲律賓家庭傭工說：“我們是照顧者，不是女傭”
當被問及她的預期職責時，韓國菲律賓家庭傭工試點計劃的參與者瑪麗（化名）表示，她被告知她的職責將包括「照顧孕婦或家庭中的孩子」。
另一位參與者貝兒（化名）也表示，“我的主要工作是看護，我明白只有在必要的時候才會協助做與看護相關的家務。”
這種觀點與韓國「家事工作者」的傳統角色不同，後者往往承擔多重責任，例如照顧孩子，同時也為其他家庭成員準備飯菜或打掃房間。 這可能預示著未來職責範圍潛在的衝突。
6 月 21 日，《韓國日報》聯繫了入選該計劃的 100 名菲律賓家庭傭工中的約 10 名。
瑪麗和貝爾在接受採訪後也表達了擔憂，擔心可能產生後果，因此使用化名來保護自己的身分。 這些採訪是在工人上個月抵達韓國之前透過社群媒體訊息進行的。
週二，100名20多歲和30多歲的菲律賓家庭傭工抵達韓國，目前正在京畿道龍仁市接受培訓。 他們將於下個月被派往首爾的家庭，但由於工作內容不明確的爭議仍然存在。
根據就業和勞工部以及菲律賓海外就業管理局的指導方針，這些工人的首要職責是「照顧」。
這包括為孩子穿衣服和洗澡、準備嬰兒食品以及為孕婦做飯。 瑪麗和貝爾和其他參與者一樣，將這些視為他們的主要職責。
除了照護之外，他們還可能承擔一些家務勞動。 例如，如果他們工作超過六個小時，他們可能會被要求為成人洗衣服、洗成人的盤子以及用吸塵器或拖把清潔地板。
然而，垃圾處理、為成人做飯和組織儲存等任務是不被允許的。
雖然他們可以承擔與兒童保育相關的附帶家務勞動，但兒童保育相關職責的定義可能會引起爭議。
工人本身的意見也各不相同。 瑪麗說，“我認為不可能在任務之間劃清界限”，並補充說她可以做家務，並認為它們是工作的一部分。
另一方面，貝拉表達了擔憂，她說：“拒絕工作指示並不容易”，但她也強調，“我希望人們明白，我們不是女傭，而是護理人員。”
菲律賓工人的挑選是基於嚴格的標準，包括擁有政府認證的護理人員執照（經過超過 780 小時的培訓）、英語和韓語的語言能力以及無犯罪記錄。
瑪麗來到韓國的原因之一是經濟原因。
「我在一家公司工作，每月收入 22,000 比索（約 52 萬韓元），」她說。 她透過第二份工作補充這筆收入，每月額外賺取40萬韓元。
考慮到菲律賓的平均月薪為18,423比索（截至2022年約為44萬韓元），這並不是一個小數目。
然而，隨著孩子們漸漸長大，她對金錢的需求也隨之增加。 她最終尋求了海外工作，因為那裡的薪水更高。
「我會想念我的家人，但我做出這個決定是為了給他們更好的未來和更舒適的生活，」她說。
貝爾也在教育部門工作，透過夜以繼日的工作，每月賺3萬比索（約71萬韓元），但這還不足以養活她的大家庭。 為了賺更多錢，她獲得了護理執照並尋求海外工作。
他們的目標是將至少三分之一在韓國的收入寄回菲律賓的家人。
「聽說韓國的月薪約為200萬韓元，最低工作要求是每週30小時，但我不介意多工作，我想賺盡可能多的錢。」貝爾說。
這些工人有權享有與韓國公民相同的最低工資。 以今年的薪水（每小時9860韓元）計算，每週工作5天，每天4小時，每月收入119萬韓元，每天工作8小時，每月收入238萬韓元。
這比他們在新加坡或香港的收入還要高，那裡的月薪在50萬韓元到80萬韓元之間。
當被問及最低工資政策是否影響了她來韓國的決定時，瑪麗說，“我知道韓國有最低工資”，但補充道，“除此之外，我對韓國文化很感興趣，想體驗在韓國的生活。
Mary和Belle都表示，短期目標是找到好雇主，長期目標是健康回國，帶著在韓國的豐富經驗和美好回憶。
本文取自《韓國時報》姊妹刊物《韓國日報》，由生成式人工智慧翻譯並由《韓國時報》工作人員編輯。
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