MOP30 minimum wage ceiling proposed

2013-6-21

From：Macau Daily Times

The government has proposed to extend the upper limit of the minimum wage. The proposal, due to be released for public consultation next year, indicates it is set to increase from MOP28 to MOP30, while the lower range of the hourly pay for building doormen and cleaners tentatively remains at MOP23.
The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Francis Tam, made the announcement yesterday, at the end of the fourth plenary meeting of the Standing Committee for Coordination of Social Affairs.
As the chairman of the Committee, he said the proposal for the MOP2 increase arose after consulting representatives of employers and employees, as well as careful considerations of employers’ affordability and other factors.  One consideration was the University of Macau’s latest research on security guards and cleaners’ working conditions and remuneration, with findings showing that security guards earn an average hourly payment of MOP22.5, while cleaners earn MOP34.7.
“Representatives of employers, employees and government were actively contributing to the discussion during our meeting, and we greatly appreciate their attitudes, which reflects the parities’ sincerity in facilitating the legislation (of minimum wage),” said Tam.
While drafting of the new law will start next week, the consultation paper on the minimum wage will be released in September for public feedback. The Secretary did not specify how long the consultation period will last, saying only that it will depend on how eager the public is in contributing to the discussion. He guaranteed that the pre-legislation procedures will finish within this year, in order to pave way for the beginning of the legislative procedures.
The issue has been under public debate for years and unions have been criticizing the government for dragging its heels over the important labor issue. Most neighboring jurisdictions have already set a floor for hourly payments for groups of workers who have weak bargaining power.
But thorny issues still remain concerning how often this subject is to be revisited. The government suggests a revision every three years, while workers insist it should happen every year. Employers claim yearly amendments would be too frequent.
Yesterday, Tam was careful not to give a clear answer, saying that such concerns would be addressed during the legislative procedures. Neither would he speculate on when the minimum wage would be extended from security guards and cleaners to cover other trades. SC

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