CS inspects government service in relation to implementation of Minimum Wage Ordinance (with photos/video)

CS inspects government service in relation to implementation of Minimum Wage Ordinance (with photos/video)
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     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, today (May 11) visited the Labour Department's Hong Kong East Office in Wan Chai and the 1823 Call Centre in Tsuen Wan to inspect various services delivered by the Government to complement the implementation of the Minimum Wage Ordinance (MWO).

     At the Labour Relations Division of Hong Kong East Office, Mr Tang was briefed by the Commissioner for Labour, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, on consultation and conciliation services for the MWO and recruitment services provided for employers and job seekers by the department.  He enquired about changes in vacancies and whether the wage levels of the vacancies comply with requirements of MWO.  Mr Tang also chatted with some of the job seekers.

     Mr Tang encouraged staff to give timely feedback to their management to enable the Government to better assess the impact of implementation of the MWO on labour market.

     Mr Tang then proceeded to the 1823 Call Centre in Tsuen Wan, which is under the ambit of Efficiency Unit, to learn more about the centre's operation, in particular the handling of enquiries in relation to the MWO.  He listened to real cases of such enquiries.

     Mr Tang was also briefed by the Call Centre on handling enquiries on tree management.  With the approach of the typhoon and rainy season, Mr Tang urged the staff to refer enquiries and complaints to relevant departments promptly in order to safeguard public safety.

     Speaking after the visit, Mr Tang said that the introduction of the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) was an important milestone in safeguarding the rights of our workforce.  The Government has been striving to handle enquiries from employers and employees on the implementation of the minimum wage through different channels.  Promotions on various fronts are in gear to explain the coverage of the MWO, with a view to enabling both parties to have a thorough understanding of their respective rights and obligations under the new system.

     The MWO took effect on May 1 this year.  From January 1 to May 4 this year, the Labour Relations Division has arranged 827 consultation interviews related to the SMW, mainly concerning the coverage of MWO, definition of wages and hours worked and the content of the provisions, etc.  Most of the interviews were conducted in March and April, which accounted for 80 per cent of the 827 consultation interviews.  As at May 8, the 1823 Call Centre had handled a daily average of 471 enquiries on the Ordinance, 20 per cent higher than the number of enquiries in April.

     For service enhancement, the Labour Department and the 1823 Call Centre have arranged for additional staff to handle the related consultation and conciliation services, which is vital to the implementation of MWO.

Ends/Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Issued at HKT 20:52

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