How many increases in the minimum wage standard will affect workers?

  Speaking of the upcoming minimum wage increase, 47-year-old cleaner Wang Liping has some expectations.

She works for a housekeeping company in Chongqing, and her basic salary is calculated according to the local minimum wage.

  Recently, many provinces in my country have successively raised the minimum wage.

Taking Chongqing, where Wang Liping is located, as an example, starting from April 1, the two monthly minimum wage standards here will increase by 300 yuan.

In addition, Hunan Province and Fujian Province also recently announced the news of raising the minimum wage.

  How much will the increase in the minimum wage standard have on the income of workers?

  Many places usher in an increase

  From April 1, Hunan, Chongqing, and Fujian provinces will implement new minimum wage standards.

  According to the "Minimum Wage Regulations", the minimum wage standard generally takes the form of a monthly minimum wage standard and an hourly minimum wage standard.

The monthly minimum wage standard applies to full-time employed workers, and the hourly minimum wage standard applies to part-time employed workers.

  On March 22, the Hunan Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security issued the "Notice on the Adjustment of the Minimum Wage Standards in Hunan Province in 2022", which clarified that starting from April 1, the province's monthly minimum wage standards will be adjusted to 3 grades of 1930 yuan, 1740 yuan, and 1550 yuan. The hourly minimum wage is adjusted to 19 yuan, 17 yuan, and 15 yuan in three grades.

  Earlier, Fujian and Chongqing provinces also released information that the minimum wage will be raised from April 1.

It is understood that the standard of four grades in Fujian has been raised to 2030 yuan, 1960 yuan, 1810 yuan and 1660 yuan, with an average increase of 14.59% for each grade.

Chongqing continues to implement two minimum wage standards, and the new standards will reach 2,100 yuan and 2,000 yuan per month.

  In 2015, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued a notice stipulating that the minimum wage standard should be adjusted at least once every two to three years from at least once every two years in the future.

  The reporter combed and found that in this round of adjustment, 22 provinces including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Liaoning have adjusted their minimum wage standards in 2021 or early 2022.

Qinghai and Hebei are planning to raise the minimum wage standard. The government work report of Qinghai Province in 2022 mentioned that the adjustment policies such as taxation, social security, and transfer payment should be implemented, and the minimum wage standard should be adjusted reasonably; The minimum wage standard is being evaluated and calculated.

  Up to now, the minimum wage standard after this round of adjustment has exceeded 2,000 yuan in the first tier of 11 provinces, of which Shanghai is the highest at 2,590 yuan per month.

  Multiple benefits linked to minimum wage

  The minimum wage standard is the minimum labor remuneration that the employer should pay according to law, provided that the laborer provides normal labor during the statutory working hours or the working hours agreed in the labor contract signed in accordance with the law.

  Sun Zhongwei, a professor at the School of Politics and Public Administration of South China Normal University, introduced that adjusting the minimum wage standard in a timely and appropriate manner in accordance with the law can make the system really play a "return to the bottom" role.

  "After the minimum wage is raised, low-income workers are the most direct beneficiaries, especially those who take the minimum wage as the agreed wage in the labor contract." Shen Jianfeng, dean of the Law School of China Institute of Labor Relations, said that the minimum wage is still It is regarded as the calculation base and bottom line of some benefits.

  The reporter learned that there are many treatment standards linked to the minimum wage, and the increase of the minimum wage standard will directly affect these treatment standards.

For example, according to regulations, the sick leave salary during the medical treatment period cannot be lower than 80% of the minimum wage;

In addition, unemployment insurance benefits, work-related injury and disability allowances, and basic living expenses for employees during the period when the unit is suspended from work and production are also related to the minimum wage standard.

  So, how is the minimum wage set?

Shen Jianfeng said that all localities will refer to factors such as the minimum living expenses of local employees and their dependents, the consumer price index for urban residents, social insurance premiums and housing accumulation funds paid by employees, average wages of employees, economic development level, employment status and other factors. Salary rates are adjusted.

"From this perspective, the continuous improvement of the minimum wage standard is a manifestation of economic and social development, and it is also an important symbol of the improvement of the overall income level of the society."

  Make the system function

  "Recruiting security guards with a monthly salary of 1,950 yuan, working 8 hours a day, and one day off a week." Not long ago, a security company in Shijiazhuang released a recruitment notice. The employer did not know that this had violated the minimum wage system.

  "Although the monthly salary has exceeded the local minimum wage of 1,900 yuan, if overtime wages are excluded, the monthly salary provided by this company is actually less than the minimum wage." Shen Jianfeng explained.

  According to the "Minimum Wage Regulations", overtime wages, special working conditions or allowances under special working conditions are not included in the minimum wage standard.

In addition, Sun Zhongwei said that Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui and other places stipulate that various social insurance premiums and housing provident funds that workers should pay are not part of the minimum wage standard.

But some companies are not very aware of the regulations.

  During interviews with reporters, we found that many low-income workers do not know the terms of the minimum wage policy, and even if their rights and interests are damaged, they do not know how to protect their rights.

  "Labor inspection departments and trade unions can intervene to help workers safeguard their rights." Shen Jianfeng said that efforts to popularize laws and policies for workers should be increased, workers' awareness of rights protection should be enhanced, and government supervision over the implementation of policies by enterprises should be strengthened.

  Shen Jianfeng believes that the function of the minimum wage should be properly understood.

"The minimum wage is to ensure the bottom line and the basics. To allow workers to achieve more decent work, we must give full play to the role of collective negotiation, determine wage standards through negotiation, and form an independent salary adjustment mechanism for enterprises to reduce their reliance on minimum wages."

  In addition, Sun Zhongwei suggested that the adjustment of the minimum wage standard should also consider the affordability of the enterprise, scientifically measure the reasonable range of the adjustment, fully evaluate the impact of the adjustment of the minimum wage standard on the labor costs of various enterprises and the possible business risks, and do a good job coping plan.

Zhang Jing