Hong Kong announced the freezing of the minimum wage for the first time, maintaining the minimum wage of HK$37.5 per hour

　　[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Hong Kong’s Secretary of Labor and Welfare, Luo Zhiguang, said on the 2nd that Hong Kong’s economy is currently in a deep recession and the unemployment rate is high. Maintained at an hourly salary of 37.5 Hong Kong dollars.

The legal minimum wage in Hong Kong came into effect on May 1, 2011, and was raised to HK$37.5 per hour from May 1, 2019. This is the first freeze.

In other words, about 20,000 grassroots employees in Hong Kong have "no salary increase."

　　The "Minimum Wage Committee 2020 Report" shows that from May to June 2019, 21,200 workers in Hong Kong received minimum wages, of which more than half were engaged in property management, security and cleaning services, involving 11,400 people.

During the same period, the median hourly wage of all employees in Hong Kong was HK$73, which is nearly double the current minimum wage.

Wang Peishi, chairman of the Minimum Wage Committee, said that the minimum wage rose from 28 Hong Kong dollars in 2011 to 37.5 Hong Kong dollars in 2019, an increase of 33.9%, while inflation was 26.7% over the same period, indicating that the minimum wage has increased more than inflation.

Oriental Daily reported on the 2nd that the legal minimum wage level is reviewed every two years. In other words, the minimum wage will not be adjusted until 2023 at the earliest.

　　Hong Kong society has mixed reactions to this.

The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong welcomes the freezing of the minimum wage and believes that it will help alleviate the pressure on the operating costs of enterprises and provide breathing space for the industrial and commercial industries that have been hit hard by the epidemic.

He Qiwen, chairman of the Security Industry Chamber of Commerce, said that large-scale events such as concerts have been cancelled during the epidemic, and the demand for security has been greatly reduced. Maintaining the current wage can keep the job of security.

The chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions, Huang Guo, criticized that the decision was to help the business sector oppress the workers at the bottom. The minimum wage should be adjusted to inflation and increased to HK$39.1 to ensure that the purchasing power of the grassroots remains unchanged.

(Leaf Blue)