The Hong Kong Government should raise the statutory minimum wage to HK$ 50 per hour—a 33% increase, according to the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong Diocesan Pastoral Centre for Workers (Kowloon). The suggested rate by the centre is to ensure that worker’s pay can cope with raising inflation levels.
The urgence to raise the minimum wage comes after the centre conducted a survey of grassroots-level workers between May and June this year and found that those who currently earn the statutory minimum wage—HK$ 37.5 per hour, are unable to make ends meet. The current minimum wage level was first set in 2019 and saw no raise in 2021 due to a freeze implemented because of the pandemic.
Of those grassroots workers surveyed, almost 32% said that they were paid the statutory rate, of which, more than 70% reported that they needed to work more than 10 hours a day as well as reduce the number of leave days taken in order to make ends meet.
Further to that, 80% of workers have been suffering due to pay freezes first brought about two years ago. As a result, workers are suffering from medical conditions including insomnia, headaches, and back pain due to additional stress. To get by, some workers are only consuming one meal a day as they cannot afford to eat multiple times in a day.
The Government’s Minimum Wage Commission is currently conducting a consultation exercise on the issue and is due to submit its recommendation to the government by the end of October.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
