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Agnes Lam

Members of the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission will study two  minimum-wage models in Europe  this month. 
They will meet government, business-sector and union representatives during their visit to London and Paris to gain a better understanding of the minimum-wage models in Britain and France.  A statutory minimum wage was enforced in France in 1995 and in Britain in 1998. 
Commission members will meet  to study data from the Social Welfare Department on low-income earners before flying to Europe.  
A person familiar with the commission's work said members were interested in finding out information about low-income earners who had been receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance for some time. 
A draft statutory minimum wage bill will be scrutinised by lawmakers in the coming legislative session. 
The person said that  if the bill was passed  next June,  the  statutory minimum wage would take effect  around the end of 2010. The commission would meet unions and concern groups after the trip to Europe.
The deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Industries, Stanley Lau Chin-ho,  said  the working ability of an individual should be the only consideration when setting a minimum wage level. 
'If a person only deserves to have HK$6,000, his employer should not be required to give him HK$9,000 simply because this worker has a big family to feed. If the worker cannot support the family, the government should give him a subsidy - but not employers,' Lau said. 
'We think there is a need for the administration to study the present Comprehensive Social Security Assistance scheme to see how it can work with the statutory minimum wage to make sure jobless people are motivated to work.'  
Lau cited a family of four on government welfare who now receive about HK$10,000 a month. 'If a worker on the minimum wage rate receives about HK$6,000 a month, that means the government has to give a subsidy of HK$4,000 so that the worker can feed his family. Public money is saved in a way and the person is encouraged to work.' 
However, the vice-chairwoman of the Confederation of Trade Unions, Cheung Lai-ha,  said the 'family factor' should play an important role when setting a minimum wage. 'The Hong Kong economy is already mature enough to consider workers' rights and benefits. Offering a wage level which allows workers to feed their families should be the basic principle when setting the minimum wage level,' she said. 
'Employers should take up their social responsibility - which is offering a reasonable wage level to workers.'
A  Labour and Welfare Bureau spokesman said the commission would conduct extensive consultations  with various players.  
It would advise the government on the initial statutory minimum wage rate to be adopted, through  comprehensive  analysis and discussions based on the information and data from surveys conducted by the Census and Statistics Department.




Minimum wage study in Europe