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THE HON. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, I wonder whether Mr. SUEN notices that the reply tabled today is an urgent memorandum faxed by Mr. Fred Ting, Acting Director of Regional Services, to Ms. Elaine CHUNG, our Director. The date of issue is 5 September and it is clearly stated in paragraph 9 that 'the Regional Services Department has evidences that some contractors are paying only a monthly wage between $3,200 and $4,000 to workers working eight hours a day'. Considering this to be improper and unacceptable, the RSD has introduced a new contract under the concept of 'management for results', which stipulates that 'the monthly wage of a cleansing worker shall be $5,000 while that of a foreman, $9,000'. Tenders for two such contracts have been invited, requiring the contractors to comply with this condition.
Mr. Chairman, I am not going to argue about what 'minimum wage' and 'fair wage' are. Such is the RSD's new development and they are using the term of 'stipulated wage'. I won't call it the 'minimum' or 'fair' wage. It is the wage stipulated in the contract, which the contractor is required to pay. Why don't we take this as a reference? To avoid any argument about the 'fairness' of wage, we can fix a 'stipulated wage' with reference to the provision of the most updated contracts of the RSD. Why don't we give consideration to this?
MR. SUEN KAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):- As far as the Council and I myself are concerned, the contractors' unreasonable level of wage is entirely intolerable. Neither is it acceptable. Accordingly, when the review of the contracting-out services is conducted, this will be one of the major issues for consideration alongside the measures I cited just now. Of course the Department's measures might differ from those of the RSD, but I consider that the spirit is the same.
The new measures are still being tested. For the time being I do not see that the Department's new measures are less desirable than those of the RSD. I therefore consider that we should give an allowance of a period of time, I can recall that when the new measures were endorsed by the Administration Select Committee, it was requested that the measures be implemented for a period of time before a review was made. I understand that the Department will submit a report in mid-1999 on the review of the effectiveness of the new measures.
As for the success or otherwise of the Regional Council's concept of 'management for results', I am not going to make any comments. I have learned from the press that there is room for improvement in the Regional Council's concept of 'management for results'. I consider that this is something that Members have yet to observe.
(3) MS. ADA WONG YING-KAY asked (in Cantonese):- 'Regarding recent complaints against the Hawker Control Teams (HCT) for abusing power and
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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
175
THE HON. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I wonder whether Mr. SUEN notices that the reply tabled today is an urgent memorandum faxed by Mr. Fred Ting, Acting Director of Regional Services, to Ms. Elaine CHUNG, our Director. The date of issue is 5 September and it is clearly stated in paragraph 9 that 'the Regional Services Department has evidences that some contractors are paying only a monthly wage between $3,200 and $4,000 10 workers working eight hours a day'. Considering this to be improper and unacceptable, the RSD has introduced a new contract under the concept of 'management for results', which stipulates that 'the monthly wage of a cleansing worker shall be $5,000 while that of a foreman, $9,000'. Tenders for two such contracts have been invited, requiring the contractors to comply with this condition.
Mr. Chairman, I am not going to argue about what 'minimum wage' and 'fair wage' are. Such is the RSD's new development and they are using the term of 'stipulated wage'. I won't call it the 'minimuun' or 'fair' wage. It is the wage stipulated in the contract, which the contractor is required to pay. Why don't we take this as a reference? To avoid any argument about the 'fairness' of wage, we can fix a 'stipulated wage' with reference to the provision of the most updated contracts of the RSD. Why don't we give consideration to this?
MR. SUEN KAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-As far as the Council and I myself are concerned, the contractors' unreasonable level of wage is entirely intolerable. Neither is it acceptable. Accordingly, when the review of the contracting-out services is conducted, this will be one of the major issues for consideration alongside the measures I cited just now. Of course the Department's measures might differ from those of the RSD, but I consider that the spirit is the same.
The new measures are still being tested. For the time being I do not see that the Department's new measures are less desirable than those of the RSD. I therefore consider that we should give an allowance of a period of time, I can recall that when the new measures were endorsed by the Administration Select Committee, it was requested that the measures be implemented for a period of time before a review was made. I understand that the Department will submit a report in mid-1999 on the review of the effectiveness of the new measures.
As for the success or otherwise of the Regional Council's concept of 'management for results. I am not going to make any comments. I have learned from the press that there is room for improvement in the Regional Council's concept of 'management for results'. I consider that this is something that Members have yet to observe.
(3) MS. ADA WONG YING-KAY asked (in Cantonese):-'Regarding recent complaints against the Hawker Control Teams (HCT) for abusing power and
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