--Elizabeth Wiliams--
Health: When hiring a maid, remember that there may be health costs involved. There are medical services and clinics available at a reduced price that your maid can take advantage of to receive care. We recommend that your maid undergo a medical examination to determine if she meets the minimum physical requirements of the position and is free from any contagious disease. The employer pays for the cost of the medical exam. This exam may include a chest x-ray, urinalysis, serological test for syphilis, stool examination and blood test for pregnancy. The Mexican law is very clear on the financial responsibilities of the employer in case of pregnancy, sickness, death, or work-related injuries. For this reason, we recommend not hiring pregnant or older maids that may have chronic health issues or are prone to sickness.
House guests: On the occasions when you have house guests, it is thoughtful, although not expected, for them to leave a small tip for the maid. It shouldn’t be too large of a percentage of their normal salary, and as the employer you may want to suggest an amount to your guest. This amount is normally calculated depending on the amount of time they were with you and the service the house guests received.
Christmas pay: By law we are required to give full-time domestic employees an annual Christmas bonus called the Aguinaldo. After the employee has completed one year of work in your home the bonus is calculated as a minimum of two weeks’ pay. If the employee has worked less than a year you may pro-rate the bonus. The Aguinaldo is to be paid between the 10th and 20th December. Giving a month’s salary for the bonus is common after a full time domestic employee has worked for you for over a year and you are very satisfied with them.
Uniforms: It is recommended that your maid wear a uniform, which will also save wear and tear of her personal clothing. Uniforms are provided by the employer and can be bought in almost every grocery store. The uniforms come in two styles; one-piece dress with or without an apron and two-piece pantsuit. This applies to both live-in maids and day-maids.
Phone Calls: You are given 100 local phone calls per month on a resident phone line that is applied to the monthly rent. Every call beyond that amount is individually charged to your account. Maids should always ask permission to make local calls, as they do add up if they are excessive. Receiving one to three phone calls a week is considered normal for a live-in maid. It is generally acceptable for day maids who work in your home from one to four days a week, to receive calls only on an urgent basis and never every time they come to work in your home. Most people permit maids to make long distance calls with permission, on an infrequent basis. However, the maid must understand that she will be responsible for the payment of the phone call.
REMINDER – The obligatory paid holiday for domestic help this month is November 20th. November 2nd, 12th, and 22nd are not paid holidays.
Elizabeth Williams is the U.S. Consular Agent for Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Her office is located at Plaza Ambiente, Local #9, Ixtapa, Gro 40880 Mexico, across the street from the Radisson Hotel, next to Budget Rent A Car, in Ixtapa. Office hours are 10am-2pm M-F. Office Tel. 553 2100, Fax: 553 1108 or 554 6276, Cell: 044 755 557 1106. If you are a long term resident and haven’t registered with the Consulate to get on the ex-pat mailing list, go by the office or contact lizwilliams@diplomats.com.
Webpage: http://www.zihua-ixtapa.com/zihua/us_consulate/us.htm
December 2001
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