Increase Minimum Wage To HK$46 An Hour: Unionist

Legislator Lam Chun-sing has urged the government to increase Hong Kong's mininum wage to HK$46 an hour, up from the HK$40 dollar approved on Tuesday by the Executive Council.

The new minimum wage, which will come into force in May, represents a HK$2.5 increase and ends a four-year freeze.

Lam, who is chair of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, said that although the increase was higher than inflation, grassroots workers have struggled to maintain their living standards. He explained that the federation's proposed HK$46 baseline was calculated with reference to Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) rates.

"We would use the CSSA amount for a two-person family," he said. "There are seven million people in Hong Kong but only a working population of 3.5 million people. People need to support family members."

Lam also added his voice to calls for the minimum wage to be reviewed annually, instead of every two years.

"The minumum wage was frozen two years ago and the grassroots have not had a salary increase for four years," he said. "We hope the government can set a clear timetable towards reviewing the rate every year and increase protection for workers."