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Chief Executive in Council adopts recommendation on statutory minimum wage rate
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     The Chief Executive (CE) in Council has adopted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Commission to adjust the statutory minimum wage rate from its prevailing level of $28 per hour to $30 per hour, up by $2 or 7.1 per cent.

     The CE in Council has also decided that the revised statutory minimum wage rate will come into force on May 1, 2013, the next Labour Day. The Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2012 will be published in the Government Gazette this Friday (December 14) and tabled in the Legislative Council next Wednesday (December 19).

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, paid warm tribute to the Chairperson of the Minimum Wage Commission, Mr Jat Sew-tong, SC, and all its members for their hard work and sterling contributions in fulfilling this arduous mission.

     Mr Cheung said, "The Administration has carefully considered the report of the Minimum Wage Commission and is of the view that it has ably discharged its statutory function of reviewing the statutory minimum wage rate and that the basis of its deliberation is reasonable and balanced.

     "The time of implementing statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong is still short and this is also the first time that we have revised the statutory minimum wage rate. Various strata of society, in particular employers and employees, need to get used to it. The Labour Department will step up its publicity and promotion efforts to assist employers and employees in understanding their obligations and entitlements.

      "The implementation of the statutory minimum wage since its introduction on May 1, 2011 has generally been smooth. The income of low-paid employees has improved noticeably in real terms. I appeal to the community to continue to support the implementation of the statutory minimum wage and maintenance of good labour-management communications, and to strive to build a harmonious, fair and caring community," he added.

     The full text of the Minimum Wage Commission Report can be downloaded from the Minimum Wage Commission's website: www.mwc.org.hk.

     The Government will also publish in the Government Gazette on December 14, and table in the Legislative Council on December 19, the Employment Ordinance (Amendment of Ninth Schedule) Notice 2012. The Notice specifies the monthly monetary cap on keeping records of hours worked. An employer will be exempted from the requirement of keeping records of the total number of hours worked by an employee in a wage period if the wages payable to the employee for that wage period are not less than $12,300 per month (currently $11,500). To synchronise with the commencement of the new statutory minimum wage rate, the revised monetary cap will come into force on the same day on which the revised rate comes into effect, that is May 1, 2013.

Ends/Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:04

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