Minimum Wage Law

The advantage is that it protects employees from being paid peanuts. Then again in most cases if an employee is paid too little he/she will try to move to other employment, so in theory it regulates itself. In theory.


The disadvantage is that some people may not be employed or lose their jobs. For example, work that is being done in HK today may move abroad if costs increase for the employers.

At the current wage level a DH monthly receives an average of $119.33 per day.

It isn't rocket science to know that a minimum wage would bring the wage level far beyond what most middle income families could afford.

However, if the current labour law was more strictly enforced and a 24 hour rest day with a 10 hour work day, I believe that most DH would accept the discrepancy of set minimum wage especially since most of thier other needs were being covered ie housing,food, health care etc.

JMHO

If the DH minimum wage was raised to, say 5000, lots of helpers would lose their jobs. Frankly I think most of those would rather make 3580 than nothing.


Don't get me wrong, I'm all for paying helpers well (and we do), but it is counterproductive to raise the minimum wage if it leads to significantly fewer helpers actually having a job.


Enforcement of the current minimum wage would help. Lots of helpers don't even get that.

I agree with what axtpguy has to say. As the new rules which are to be announced at the end of August, and come into effect next year, only effect HK local workers, I can see it having the biggest impact on shop workers and restaurants, prices will probably go up, to meet the extra pay they will have to give staff, so that will effect everbody-we all eat! It will also effect maybe the type of staff, if shop owners have to pay more wages, are they going to start being more fussy about the educational standards of the staff

Some of the small, so called "sweat shops", in the back streets of Hk may close down, or move to cheaper labour areas, out of HK all together, but that will deprive their workers of a job, or again put up the prices.

The Law is meant to bring the lowest paid workers in Hk, to a decent wage level, because they have housing, lighting, fuel bills, etc etc to pay, so they can enjoy a better standard of living.

The SCMP used a 70-something gentleman as an example who worked in a public toilet all his life as a cleaner for 7 HKD per hour, worked very long hours, and actually lived in the toilet too, till turned 70yrs. He is retired now, and think is in some public care home, I am sure he will consider this luxury after what he has been used to, and I hope his carers, who probably are lower wage earners get a satisfactory increase to look after him well, and many like him in the Autumn of their lives.

There is already a minimum wage law for domestic helpers for many years.No employer is allowed to pay lass than the prescribes minimum wage for any domestic helper.

if any employer wants to pay more for whatever reason,they are free to do so.

Well, a FDH cannot be live out except through a grandfathered exception from way back which is no longer granted. Sure, you can have a local helper, but those tend to cost way more than FDH, precisely because they do not have paid food, housing and healthcare.