XN000022-1994-05-18 — Page 30

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1994

15

GOVT WON'T INTERVENE IN WAGES

INTERVENE IN MR MANPOWER,

THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOT, AND WOULD NOT, SEEK TO WAGE DETERMINATION, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MICHAEL LEUNG, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN

HIS REPLY TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON CONRAD LAM, MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT FIRMLY BELIEVED THAT THE FORCES OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND IN THE

IN LABOUR MARKET WERE A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT GUIDE SETTING WAGE LEVELS THAN ANY MEANS OF ARBITRARY DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT.

"SETTING A MINIMUM WAGE FOR LOCAL WORKERS WOULD INTRODUCE A HIGHLY UNDESIRABLE ELEMENT OF RIGIDITY INTO OUR MARKET SYSTEM AND OUR WOULD WORK AGAINST THE INTERESTS OF NOT ONLY OUR ECONOMY BUT ALSO WORKERS, HE SAID.

11

REFERRING TO THE SETTING OF A MINIMUM ALLOWABLE WAGE FOR FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS, HE SAID THIS WAS A SPECIAL MEASURE TO SAFEGUARD THE INTERESTS OF LOCAL WORKERS "SO THAT THEIR WAGES WOULD NOT BE DEPRESSED BY WORKERS FROM OUTSIDE HONG KONG."

THIS WOULD ALSO ENSURE THAT FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS ARE NOT

EXPLOITED.

SET

FOR

MR LEUNG STRESSED IT WAS INCORRECT TO SAY THAT THE MEDIAN WAGES

WORKERS WERE LOWER THAN THE MINIMUM WAGE LOCAL

FOREIGN

DOMESTIC HELPERS.

OF

EARNINGS

WERB

HE AGREED THAT THE FOURTH QUARTER 1993 GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY FOUND 168,000 EMPLOYEES WHOSE MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT LESS THAN $3,500.

HAD

HOWEVER, THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF LOCAL WORKERS EARNING BELOW LEVEL IS QUITE SMALL AS THE SURVEY COVERED ALL EMPLOYED INCLUDING FAMILY WORKERS, UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS WHO WORKED LESS 35 HOURS A WEEK, AND SOME 129,000 FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS.

THAT

PERSONS,

THAN

TURNING ΤΟ LOCAL WORKERS' QUALITY OF LIFE, THE SECRETARY

SAID BETWEEN 1981 AND 1991, THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME HAD INCREASED BY 58 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS.

AS

NINE

CARE,

IN ADDITION, HONG KONG WORKERS SHARE SUCH BENEFITS YEARS OF FREE EDUCATION, HEAVILY SUBSIDISED HOUSING AND HEALTH GOOD RECREATION AND CULTURAL FACILITIES, AND COMPREHENSIVE BOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS.

CITING EXAMPLES, MR LEUNG SAID LABOUR LEGISLATION CONSTANTLY REVIEWED TO BRING ABOUT BETTER PROTECTION AND BENEFITS EMPLOYEES.

WAS

FOR

THIS HAS RESULTED IN IMPROVEMENTS IN ANNUAL LEAVE PROVISIONS, INCREASED

OF EMPLOYEES LEVEL

COMPENSATION, RETRAINING DISPLACED WORKERSAND OTHER BENEFITS.

ΤΟ

HBLP

PROTECTION SAID.

"ALL THESE MEASURES ARE AIMED AT BRINGING BETTER BENEFITS то OUR WORKERS AND IMPROVING THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE,

AND

*

HE

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