https://www.scmp.com/rss/311956/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The public consultation on the review of the statutory minimum wage has ended. Among the 200-plus proposals submitted, some 40 per cent reportedly suggest freezing the wage at the current HK$30-per-hour level next year. That idea is most objectionable, for a number of reasons. Let us look first at inflation rates. The first minimum wage introduced in May 2011 was HK$28 per hour. It was then increased to HK$30 per hour in May 2013, a rise of 7.1 per cent. As a comparison, the accumulative... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1544848/raising-minimum-wage-hk36-hour-both-needed-and-affordable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1544848/raising-minimum-wage-hk36-hour-both-needed-and-affordable?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2014 05:00:45 +0000 Last month, Professor Wong Chack-kie of the Central Policy Unit said that democracy was no panacea for social problems, a view not many will challenge. But, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, the reason for pursuing democracy is not because it is perfect but because it is the best among all known forms of government. Robert Dahl, the renowned theorist of democracy, held a similar view. He observed that the risk of making mistakes exists in all political systems, but the worst blunders of the 20th... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1412383/despite-its-limitations-democracy-beats-other-types?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1412383/despite-its-limitations-democracy-beats-other-types?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2014 03:15:45 +0000