Black market wages for maids are being forced even lower as a result of the five per cent minimum pay cut, it was claimed yesterday. One Sri Lankan maid's employer cut her already illegal salary by $190 to $2,310 a month, the Association of Sri Lankans in Hong Kong said. United Filipinos in Hong Kong chairwoman Connie Bragas-Regalado was not surprised at the revelation. 'The lowering of the minimum wage does not guarantee those underpaid will get even the legal wage. If they're already on less than the legal minimum they could still get a pay cut.' A Labour Department spokeswoman said employers could be jailed for up to a year if they paid below the new monthly minimum wage of $3,670.