XN000022-1996-05-01 — Page 54

(a)

(b)

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the average percentage of increase in the minimum wages for the various types of jobs under the Supplementary Labour Scheme as compared to that for the corresponding jobs under the General Labour Importation Scheme, and how this rate of increase compares with the inflation rate in the same period; and

the criteria for determining the minimum ages for the various types of jobs under the Supplementary Labour Scheme; and whether, in determining such wages, consideration has been given to the ability of the employers in various sectors, (especially those in small and medium- sized businesses) to afford wage increases in the present economic downturn?

Reply:

Mr President,

The Government's policy on importation of labour is that local workers must be given priority in filling job vacancies available in the job market, and that employers who are genuinely unable to recruit workers locally to fill these job vacancies should be allowed to bring in imported workers.

To safeguard the interests of local workers and to ensure that they will not be displaced by cheap labour from overseas, we have made it a requirement under the Supplementary Labour Scheme that the wages offered to local workers should be set at no less than the latest median monthly wage levels for comparable job titles in the local labour market.

It follows that if the employer is not able to recruit locally, the Scheme requires that the minimum wages to be offered to imported workers should be equivalent to the median wages for the same vacancies at the time of the visa application. This requirement is in compliance with Hong Kong's obligation under International Labour Convention No. 97 which stipulates that foreign workers should be subject to no less favourable treatment than that applied to their local counterparts in respect of remuneration and other conditions.

It should be noted that this wage requirement is also included under the previous General Labour Importation Scheme, and the Special Labour Importation Scheme for the New Airport and related Projects.

My replies to the specific parts of the question are as follows: