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Martin Wong

The labour minister wants workers to be considerate to their bosses now the minimum wage is in force.  
Trade unionists have been pressing for employers to provide paid rest days and meal breaks to workers on the minimum wage. The wage law leaves it open to employers and employees to negotiate over such matters, and Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, the secretary for labour and welfare, again ruled out legislating on the issue.
He urged employers and employees to handle the matter in a lawful and reasonable manner, with openness and fairness. 
'This is not so much a question  of conscience but of the ability of employers to balance the welfare of employees with the needs of the company, which ultimately pays the wages,' he said. 
'The goal of the statutory minimum wage is to set a wage floor rather than regulate or change the current contractual arrangement between employers and employees.  
'[Paid rest days and meal breaks] are terms of employment to be agreed between employers and employees. The Minimum Wage Ordinance does not aim to change this long-standing arrangement. It would be inappropriate to stipulate these in legislation,' Cheung said.
He noted that the practice was similar to  that in Britain, Ireland, Japan and on the mainland.
Cheung urged employers to pay staff more if they are in a position to do so.
Federation of Trade Unions president Cheng Yiu-tong told RTHK that the minimum wage of HK$28 an hour could help improve the livelihood of  workers, saying there would no longer be any 'insulting wages'.  
'The business sector just tries to exaggerate things to scare people by saying that many trades would find it hard to survive with the implementation of the wage floor,' he said.
Cheng, who is also an Exco members, said employers may earn more if they treat workers better. 'And employers should not regard the offering of paid meal breaks as a gift. The tiny amount of money that these workers earn is also a dignity that they deserve to have,'  he  said.
On the eve of the minimum wage's introduction, 200 people marched from Sham Shui Po to government headquarters in Central to protest against exploitation in the workplace.
The Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, which organised the demonstration, said some employers had changed staff contracts to make rest days unpaid before the minimum wage comes in.
Help for some
The number who will get a pay rise under the minimum wage, according to University of Science and Technology economist Francis Lui Ting-ming, is: 314,600



Spare a thought for boss, minister tells low-paid