Government inspectors have found 14 workers who could be receiving wages less than the new minimum hourly wage of HK$28 in the first week of the law coming into effect. The suspected violations were identified from more than 800 inspections carried out by Labour Department officers in the past week. Most of the companies targeted were in the cleaning, security and catering industries. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the bosses involved had been advised and would be investigated further. 'Our inspectors immediately explained the requirement of the law to the employers to ensure that the employees' rights are protected,' he said. 'The employers might not have known enough about the new law. 'Of course, if we find out they are doing it deliberately, we will take appropriate actions.' The law's implementation has been controversial, as some workers have complained about bosses cutting their working hours and break times. Cheung also warned last week that there might be job losses in the long term. On Wednesday, a boss was reported to have deducted wages from workers for toilet breaks to offset the new minimum wage. But Cheung said: 'I would describe the first week of implementation as smooth. We are, of course, monitoring the situation closely.' The bureau's telephone hotline has answered an average of about 1,000 inquiries a day since the law came into effect on May 1. Six requests have been made to the bureau for help. Cheung said the number of vacancies in the past week remained steady, with about 3,000 received from private companies every day. A total of 4,170 vacancies were reported on Friday. 'This suggests the implementation of the minimum wage has not affected the incentive of employers to hire and employ,' he added.
