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Following is the transcript (English portion) of the remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, on the statutory minimum wage after attending a public function today (April 22):
Reporter: The business sector has suggested a $20 minimum hourly wage while the trade unions are urging a minimum wage of $33 an hour. How do you feel about narrowing their differences?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: It will be the task of the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission to deliberate, on the basis of an evidence-based approach, having regard to the statistics provided by the Census and Statistics Department and also in the light of a basket of economic indicators including, for example, our economic growth, unemployment situation, our competitiveness - an overall framework before they actually come up with a recommendation for the Chief Executive.
Reporter: How do you comment on the ongoing .....
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Minimum wage is essentially a very contentious issue as we all know. So it's all expected that different people, for example people from the unions, from trade bodies, they have different views. But in the end, we need to strike a proper balance between, on the one hand, the need to forestall excessively low wages, and on the other hand to ensure that Hong Kong remains competitive and also to make sure that there is no massive unemployment as well. So we have to strike a very careful balance here. It will be the task of the Commission. They will certainly come up with a recommendation before long.
Reporter: Given the database collected ..... will you be able to give us .....
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: The Government has no preconceived idea at all. We keep an open mind and we are awaiting the recommendation of the Commission. It will be the task of the Commission to put up a recommendation on the optimum rate. But I stress that whatever rate it arrives at, it has to be optimum, striking a proper balance, protecting the interest of elementary workers, and at the same time, avoiding all the side effects if at all possible.
Reporter: Some trade unions said they will march on Labour Day .....
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: The timetable is quite clear. We are in the process of scrutinising the Bill before LegCo and it will certainly take a bit of time. If everything is smooth, I do hope that the Bill can be enacted before summer recess by mid-July, but much depends on the progress at the Bills Committee at the moment. And at the same time, in fact, the Commission itself is proceeding with full steam ahead in consulting views from the community, from various stakeholders and will start a very careful and objective analysis of the data having regard to a basket of economic indicators before they come up with a recommendation for the Chief Executive.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)
Ends/Thursday, April 22, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:15
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