In many novels, especially those written by female novelists,
rich people like to hire Philippine maids to work in their houses.
And the fictitious life now has become true in large cities such as
Beijing and Shanghai and hiring a Philippine maid has become a
symbol of a luxury life after German cars, Swiss watches, French
wines and Italian fashions.
The Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News recently
investigated the lives of the Philippine maids in Shanghai and
found that in many cases, the hiring process was actually
incommensurate with the current laws and regulations.
Insiders say there are now more than one hundred Philippine
maids working in the luxury apartment areas in Shanghai, such as in
the Xijiao Huating and Renheng Binjiang apartments. When festivals
arrive, many Philippine maids will arrange some parties to meet and
chat together. Most of the people who hire them are foreigners
working in China. Many foreigners found their Philippine maids in
Hong Kong and had finished all the procedures before coming to the
mainland.
However, according to the Regulation on Foreigners Employment in
China, published in 1996, all foreigners that work in China should
first obtain work permits from the Ministry of Labor and Social
Security, and they are not allowed to bring foreign laborers into
China.
A person in charge at the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs
Office said that foreigners working in China should first obtain
the work permits from Chinese government. At present, most
foreigners who have obtained work permit are foreign experts,
sailors, and employees working in foreign enterprises. Philippine
maids and other foreign laborers cannot obtain work permits in
China.
He said that so far, the Shanghai municipal government had not
issued any employment permits to any Philippine maids.
"Hiring Philippine maids is currently illegal in Shanghai. At
present, China aims to protect the low-end domestic labor market
and does not allow low-end foreign laborers to work in China," he
said.
(China News Service November 2, 2006)